It doesn’t get much more Canadian than Tim Hortons, even after the company’s cross-border merger with Burger King in 2014.
The coffee might be mediocre at best and the portion sizes leave much to be desired, but Tim Hortons is a staple of Canadian identity, whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em.
The people who start and end their day with Tim Hortons are the same people who power our country and our province: the construction workers, linemen, and transporters, to name just a few.
Tim Hortons also fuels the minds of our forward-thinking youths. Of the company’s 4,000 locations across Canada, many are located in universities.
“At the University of Alberta, five. Used to be six, I think? Well, six, but one of them may have closed down. They were in the same building, not 20 steps from each other. Both are/were terribly run,” wrote one Reddit user when asked how many Tim Hortons their university had.
Every Canadian knows that expecting a Tim Hortons to run like a Starbucks is a pipe dream. A poorly managed Tim Hortons is par for the course at this point.
Sure, Tim Hortons might not be the greatest, but the unimpressive chain holds a special place in our hearts.
It might not be the warmest or most comfortable place, but it’s a place nonetheless. So, why do Canadians view Tim Hortons so fondly?
Is it the devious farmer’s wrap and coffee combo that will make your stomach churn? Or maybe it’s the simplicity of a toasted cheddar cheese bagel with butter?
Words can’t describe or explain Canada’s love of Tim Hortons, but what about music?
Almost half a million people on YouTube agree that Shane Kimber AKA OGR-Scintilla’s song titled “Tims Run”, sums it up perfectly.
In “Tims Run,” Kimber name drops some Canadian Tim Hortons favourites like the “honey cruller, apple fritter, vanilla dip with extra sprinkles.”
Canada’s love for Tim Hortons is summed up by the lyric, “Need a brew or just something to do? Well bud, you know where I’ll be. I’m headed on a Tims run. Let me know what you want. I can pick it all up.”
This one line might stir up fond memories of driving to Tim Hortons on your lunch break in high school for an Iced Capp or getting a 50-pack of Timbits for a long road trip with friends.
Tim Hortons was a part of these special memories and Kimber brings these memories flooding back with his music that focuses not just on Tim Hortons, but the Canadian experience as a whole.
Claim to Fame
Kimber is an Alberta legend hailing from the Sedalia-Oyen area, about 330 kilometres east of Calgary, where he farms with his dad and uncle.
The 29-year-old’s lyrical genius earned him a reputation as Oyen’s greatest rapper, but that’s not where the “OGR” in his pseudonym comes from.
OGR stands for “Over Growth Renaissance” and the word scintilla means spark. Kimber’s spark has erupted into something more akin to a blazing inferno in the music industry.
His journey toward fame started in 2020 during the pandemic. At the time, he was thinking up funny video ideas he could post to TikTok.
“We just had a big, fresh dump of snow and I thought it would be funny if I took my shirt off and sat in the snowbank and sang a little song about how cold it was. That just blew up,” Kimber told CTV News.
Kimber’s popularity took off once he started doing music covers. One of his most popular covers is called “Party in Canada,” and is a Canadian spin on Miley Cyrus’ famous hit “Party in the USA.”
The official music video for “Party in Canada” has almost 300,000 views on YouTube, but “Tims Run” remains Kimber’s most popular song.
Kimber’s music captures the heart and soul of Canada and resonates with Canadians who are all too familiar with brutal winters, hockey, and, of course, Tim Hortons.
“I try to pick up on a different facet of Canadian life with every track that I do,” explained Kimber.
Kimber’s understanding of Canadian stereotypes is on full display in his song titled “A Barn Song,” which is a play on Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song.”
“The Albertans are driving trucks, and in B.C. they’re smoking blunts. They’re drinking Pilsner and watching Riders out in Saskatchewan. The Maritimes they’re catching fish, they’re eating baguettes in Quebec, the Torontonians are just trying to make their rent,” sings Kimber in “A Barn Song.”
Canadian living ain’t easy, but that’s part of what makes us who we are. In the wise words of Kimber, “Life’s alright in the red and the white, up north if you know what I mean.”
Kimber is a man of many talents who writes, produces, and mixes all of his music on his own. If you are looking for a new song to add to your morning playlist, check out Kimber’s YouTube channel!
