This will be Tim Horton's seventh camp in Canada. The camps provide underprivileged youth, aged 13 to 17, an opportunity to learn leadership skills in a wilderness setting. The camp, near the town of Pinawa, will cost $12 million to build and accommodate up to 260 children between the ages of 13 and 17.

Tim Horton's and Manitoba were forced to abandon earlier attempts to build at Meditation Lake due to public outrage over a lack of consultation, and water quality results showing high levels of blue-green algae made the site selected unsuitable.

The Wilderness Committee of Manitoba (WCM) was instrumental in raising awareness and mobilizing opposition to the Meditation Lake site, and they remain concerned about the current proposal.

"On the surface this is great, positive news. Underprivileged kids get to go to camp and learn leadership skills, and there seems, finally, to be some discussions about First Nations youth involvement and opportunity. Who would argue with that?" stated WCM Director Eric Reder, adding "But 'does the end justify the means?' We should reflect on whether we want to allow another piece of nature to be fragmented, whether we want biological diversity to be further threatened, and whether we want to see just a bit more of the essential components of a healthy environment disappear?"

At a recent Winnipeg Open House regarding the new site Tim Horton Foundation representatives indicated this camp would mostly be used by children from outside Manitoba, during the summer months. Manitoba children could use it off season, and during the winter.