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opinion

Through found phrases, Claire Cameron assembles a portrait of Tim Hortons’ Canadian spirit

Claire Cameron is a novelist, essayist and author of How to Survive a Bear Attack. This piece was assembled using quotes from news stories, academic papers and online discussions about coffee prices.


Timflation

The price of your coffee is going up more dough for a cup of joe Tim Hortons is often the first “We are expecting other chains to follow suit”

Our approach to pricing is designed to stay roughly in line with inflation over time

The announced increase was “actually quite modest,” said Charlebois but “it’s the kind of thing people notice”

Tariffs are just making coffee around the world more expensive Canada imports most of its roasted coffee from the U.S.

Canadians are pissed imported sock water shameless opportunists who the hell still goes to Tims?

A symbol of Canadian national identity it was the heartbeat of neighborhoods this coffee shop which began in Hamilton

I grew up in a small town point your car down one of the major roads you’re going to hit a Tim’s

The company was bought by U.S. burger chain Wendy’s and later backed by a Brazilian investment firm

The new ownership saw Tim Hortons not as a beloved cultural institution but as an underexploited asset what followed was a radical departure

The coffee recipe was adjusted franchise owners…revolted their costs increased while support decreased it became all about numbers

It has tried to sell a nostalgic and patriotic Canadian identity that many feel has been undermined by corporate practices

It’s Canadian in spirit somebody in Sao Paulo is not sitting at a computer desk deciding how many crullers we’re going to order

In an era where people are questioning what makes Tim Hortons Canadian? Lloyd asks, “is it the fact that the coffee is quite bland?”

Where privatization removes parks clubs, and community centres and turns them into condos and locked doors Tims offers a place to hang out

As an Alberta oilfield worker in the winter can I just say that Tim Horton’s being open 24 hours is an absolute blessing to us all out here

Canadians are an interesting group they don’t go out there and loudly do a pledge of allegiance we’re a country hooked on coffee

People still view Tim Hortons as a Canadian tradition commercial brands now resonate more deeply than political institutions

I drink it because of attachment issues thanks to patriotic Canadians shopping maybe Trump will succeed in making Tim Hortons great again.


More found poetry from Claire Cameron

‘I am not a crook,’ a found poem about the Watergate scandal

Can you fall in love with AI?

To be good with today

‘Seek markets elsewhere’

What is Canada?


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