Is Tim Hortons Canadian?

It's arsenic Canadian arsenic hockey, the maple leafage and Canada geese.

Or is it?

In the past, Tim Hortons rightfully earned its spot arsenic a Canadian icon, starting with 1 java store successful Ontario and yet gathering an empire that made Timbits and treble doubles portion of the nationalist lexicon.

But aft the institution was bought by U.S. burger concatenation Wendy's, and later became portion of a holding institution backed by a Brazilian concern firm, did it forfeit its assertion to Canadian identity?

The taxable has been hotly debated online — and apt successful java shops crossed the federation — successful the aftermath of the patriotic fervour whipped up by tariff and annexation threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.

A caller societal media station from the institution declares it to beryllium "proudly Canadian," but galore of the 2,500 comments beneath quality the statement, insisting it is not Canadian, but alternatively American oregon Brazilian. Posts astir the taxable successful "Buy Canadian" groups connected societal media sites person devolved into the aforesaid debate.

So wherever does the information lie? What makes a institution Canadian? Is it the ownership? The proviso chain? The franchise locations? The employees? The headquarters? Or is it thing much intangible — a reflection of our values, past oregon traditions? 

Origin and ownership

First, let's look astatine the hard facts.

Tim Hortons was founded successful 1964 by longtime Toronto Maple Leafs subordinate Tim Horton, and was aboriginal taken implicit by Nova Scotia-born Ron Joyce aft Horton's decease successful 1974.

In 1995, the concern was bought by American burger concatenation Wendy's, and successful 2014 became portion of Restaurant Brands International.

This is wherever the thought of Tim's being Brazilian comes from. Restaurant Brands International's largest shareholder was the Brazilian concern steadfast 3G Capital.

In 2014, astatine the clip of the takeover, 3G held 47 per cent of the voting powerfulness successful Restaurant Brands International, but that has dilatory decreased implicit time to 26 per cent as of Dec. 31, 2024.

Today, Canadian banks specified arsenic Toronto Dominion, Bank of Montreal, National Bank and Royal Bank, arsenic good arsenic Canadian organization investors specified arsenic the CPP Investment Board, cumulatively clasp a involvement comparable to 3G, according to Michael Oliveira, the manager of communications for Tim Hortons.

"We recognize however this 'Brazilian-owned' communicative evolved implicit clip but it's simply not accurate," helium said successful an email.

Restaurant Brands International's fiscal documents amusement that U.S.-based Capital World Investors has the adjacent largest percent of voting power, astatine astir 9.5 per cent, and U.S.-based Pershing Square Funds has astir 6.5 per cent.

Identity goes beyond ownership

Florian Muenkel, an adjunct prof of concern astatine Saint Mary's University's Sobey School of Business successful Halifax, says wherever shareholders are located doesn't person a large interaction connected the cognition of a company's nationality.

He says consumers apt subordinate the brands Chrysler, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati and Peugeot with definite countries, but they are each portion of Stellantis, a multinational institution with office successful the Netherlands. 

"I deliberation to a definite grade we are anthropomorphizing a institution here," Muenkel says. "A institution is not a quality being for which you tin fundamentally delegate thing similar a citizenship."

Of the 6,043 Tim Hortons stores worldwide, 64 per cent are located successful Canada. More than 100,000 radical are employed successful the Canadian stores, which are owned by 1,500 franchisees. An further 400 radical enactment for the firm office, which is headquartered successful Toronto.

Shares of Restaurant Brands International trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange arsenic good arsenic the New York Stock Exchange, and the institution is regulated nether the Canada Business Corporations Act.

In presumption of its proviso chain, Tim Hortons roasts the bulk of the java for its restaurants and blends the beans for its take-home java astatine 2 roasting facilities — its flagship roastery successful Ancaster, Ont., and different successful Rochester, N.Y.

The institution owns five distribution centres successful Canada and uses third-party partners for 4 others successful the country, and operates a manufacturing plant in Oakville, Ont., which produces fondants, icings and fills.

Muenkel says idiosyncratic deciding whether a institution is Canadian might consider wherever its income travel from, wherever it produces its goods, where it employs radical and, to an extent, who owns it.

So successful his view, is Tim Hortons Canadian? He hesitates, reluctant. Then: "As an economist, I would accidental yes."

'Canadian successful spirit'

Douglas Hunter is the writer of a publication astir Tim Hortons called Double Double: How Tim Hortons Became a Canadian Way of Life, One Cup astatine a Time. He's besides written a publication astir Tim Horton, the antheral who started it all.

Hunter says successful the company's earlier days, its sheer ubiquity was what made it fashionable with Canadians.

"You privation a java … you conscionable constituent your car down 1 of the large roads and you're going to deed a Tim's."

And determination conscionable wasn't overmuch contention astatine that time. Hunter says for radical who wanted to tally immoderate benignant of edifice franchise, java and baked goods were mode down the desirability database — beneath burgers, crystal pick and pancakes.

"It was the lone amusement successful town.… Ron Joyce with Horton figured retired they had a very beardown niche that nobody else was in."

The restaurants besides became a gathering constituent successful communities. If you needed to conscionable a alien oregon motion divorcement papers, a java store was the spot to bash it, Hunter says.

Despite the company's multinational presumption today, Hunter says the information that franchises are tally by local radical who cognize their customers and the marketplace "better than legume counters in head office" sways his sentiment successful favour of Tim Hortons's individuality arsenic Canadian.

"I deliberation it's Canadian successful spirit," helium says. "Somebody successful Sao Paulo is not sitting astatine a machine table deciding, you know, however galore crullers we're going to order."

'A spot of community'

The idiosyncratic who is, successful fact, deciding however galore crullers to bid — astatine slightest successful the lawsuit of her ain Tim Hortons franchises — is Tanya Doucette and her staff.

Doucette lives successful Sylvan Lake, Alta., and owns 8 Tim Hortons locations successful cardinal Alberta.

She says she hears the debates astir whether Tim Hortons is Canadian, and she understands wherefore Canadians privation clarity during this infinitesimal of alteration and upheaval.

But successful her mind, there's nary question: "Tim Hortons is Canadian."

Beyond the questions of stockholders and proviso chains, Doucette says it's the relation that Tim Hortons plays successful the lives of mean radical that earns its presumption arsenic Canadian.

She thinks backmost to the opening of the COVID-19 pandemic, erstwhile customers weren't allowed wrong restaurants.

"Our guests would bring tract chairs and they would sit, adjacent though it was wintertime … and adjacent though Alberta tin stay rather acold until good into May, our guests were gathering outside. They were keeping the spacing that was required, but they gathered extracurricular due to the fact that they needed that spot to travel together. And this is a place of assemblage for them."

The edifice is truthful integral to immoderate regular customers' lives that they pass unit if they're going connected holiday and archer them not to interest if they're not around.

Doucette says erstwhile communities are celebrating thing oregon dealing with tragedy, "we're 1 of the archetypal calls — tin you bring coffee? Can you supply Timbits oregon blistery chocolate?" she says.

"It's bonspiels, it's mediate schoolhouse orientations, it's read-a-thons, it's each the small ways that we effort to enactment our communities."

Oliveira, the Tim Hortons communications director, said the institution is profoundly embedded successful Canadian communities.

Tim Hortons charitable programs raised $44.1 cardinal successful 2024 to enactment section causes done campaigns specified arsenic Smile Cookie, Camp Day, Orange Sprinkle doughnuts and Special Olympics doughnuts. It besides runs 7 camps for younker from low-income homes, and supports programs specified arsenic Timbits shot and hockey.

"We don't conscionable service Canadians — we springiness backmost successful a large way," says Oliveira.