IQALUIT - There's one on every flight travelling from Yellowknife to Iqaluit: a passenger cradling a clear plastic bag containing a box of a dozen Tim Hortons doughnuts, or maybe it's a pack of 40 Timbits.

Some even balance a steaming hot cup of coffee during the entire flight, as though carrying the Olympic torch. Last Wednesday, it was Chris Wilson's turn. Iqaluit's deputy fire chief packed both doughnuts and Timbits for his flight.

"Typically I get a dozen doughnuts for family and a dozen for the fire hall," the 15-year Iqaluit resident told News/North while waiting for his luggage.

But all that could come to an end. Tim Hortons Inc. has confirmed it is considering Iqaluit as a possible candidate for a new location.

"We had two representatives from our new business development team visit various communities in Canada's North in (April)," said spokesperson David Morelli. "Iqaluit was one of the ones that was visited."

Tim Hortons, which had 2,930 locations across Canada as of March 29, wants to open between 120 and 140 new restaurants this year, with Quebec and Western Canada cited as growth markets, according to the company's 2008 annual report.

Morelli said remote Northern communities, including Iqaluit, are also being evaluated, but that nothing has been decided yet.

"There's no specific timelines. Some take longer. Some take shorter."

Speaking of the scouts, he added, "They just want to visit the local communities, talk with some local people, and get a sense of (whether) these local communities fit the Tim Hortons profile in terms of demographics and location."

Nunavut is the only territory or province without a Tim Hortons, with the Yellowknife location being a key performer for the company, said Morelli.

"Certainly the Yellowknife store has been one of the best-performing stores in the entire chain," he said.

Jeffrey Lem, owner of Norther Lights Cafe in downtown Iqaluit, said people in the Nunavut capital have been buzzing about the news

"People want it here," said Lem, who has actually spoken to Tim Hortons about taking on the franchise name.

"It was a couple of years ago. They said they needed a population of 10,000 people so they could open it."

Lem thinks Iqaluit could reach that number in the next five to six years. The city's population reached 6,800 last year, according to the Nunavut Bureau of Statistics.

If Lem found himself on the other side of the counter - as a competitor to the coffee-brewing juggernaut - he'd be okay with that, too.

"I think it would be hard, but I'm also known already in town for all the big events," he said. "I do all the trade shows. I've involved in Skills Canada, too. (Tim Hortons) doesn't do coquilles St-Jacques or lobster.

"There's enough money for everybody to make here."

- with files from Daron Letts