2010 pt 2: Ontario Lec 6 Flashcards
Which of Canada’s regions has the largest population?
Ontario
Have or Have Not?
Ontario used to be a have… in 2009 began receiving equalization payments
How big is Ontario?
Bigger than most countries: over 1 million square km
What portion of the population lives in Northern Ontario?
7%
Niagara Escarpment?
contains the most variable topography in Southern Ontario
Summers in Southern Ontario?
humid and hot
Winters?
invasions of Arctic air masses bring cold temperatures and bitter wind chills
Class 1 land?
Southern Ontario has over half of the highest-quality agricultural land in Canada
First Settlement in 1749
French founded the first settlement: across the river from Detroit and named it Petite Cote (present day windsor)
Late 1700s
British loyalists began settling throughout Southern Ontario
Tension between Britain and the US
resulted in several battles (war of 1812 ended the influx of American settlers = British took over and became the majority over all those Americans)
What does Detroit mean
Means “the strait”: strait = body of water that connects 2 lakes
Ontario
Iroquoian word meaning beautiful water: name given in 1867, named after Lake Ontario
The 5 Great Lakes
make up the largest body of fresh water in the world
What is between each lake
connecting straits (through they are referred to as rivers)
Management and care of the lakes?
Shared by the US and Canada
Major ports in the Great Lakes system?
Chicago, Toronto, Cleveland, Buffalo, Milwaukee, Hamilton, Toledo, Windsor, Thunder Bay
By Volume?
Lake superior is the biggest, Lake erie is the smallest
What canal allows ships to bypass Niagara Falls?
Welland Canal: opened in 1830
Great Lakes are for?
important to Ontario’s economy (tourism, recreation, fishing, transportation along the St Lawrence Seaway)
St Lawrence Seaway
Connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean
Lake Effect Snow
is caused by cold air moving over relatively warm water,
Lake Effect Snow in Southern Ontario
London and Kitchener frequently receive lake effect snow from Lake Huron causing high annual snowfall. Windsor occasionally receives lake effect snow from Lake Michigan
Lake Effect Clouds
All of Southern Ontario frequently experiences lake effect clouds in winter
Where do clouds cover
the Great lakes area, both lake effect clouds and lake effect snow diminish when the lakes freeze (often happens in Feb)
Canada’s Tornado alley
Tornadoes in Ontario occur when a southwesterly wind brings warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico: the warm moist air often interacts with cooler lake breezes
Concerns within the Great Lakes
1) Health of the lakes (eutrophication: addition of phosphates into lakes from fertilizer/chemical runoff from agricultural areas), water pollution from urban runoff
2) toxic contamination: contaminated sediment, beach closures due to high bacteria count
3) Exotic species (due to lack of natural predators) goby fish: attach to freights
Regions of Ontario
Ontario is the most diverse province in Canada both in terms of physical geography and human geography (each region of the province is different and is treated as such by the provincial government)
Northern Ontario region
Major industries: forestry/mining
population density is low
Largest cities: sudbury, thunder bay, sault ste marie
Northern ontario suffers a disconnection from the rest of the province: there have been several succession movements
Eastern Ontario Region
major industries: related to government
Largest CMAs: Ottawa, Kingston, Peterborough
Many lakes, rivers, hills, and waterfalls provide ample opportunities for recreation
There is relatively high francophone population in the area due to proximity to Quebec
Golden Horseshoe region
Major industries: finance, insurance, health care, education
Largest CMAs: Toronto, Hamilton, Oshawa
It is highly urbanized, attracts immigrants, and has a dense population
Southwestern Ontario Region
Major industries: manufacturing/argiculture
Largest CMAs: Kitchener, London, Windsor
Region has much in common with the US Midwest
Several auto assembly plants and feeder factories drive the economy.
What is extreme southwestern ontario is influenced by what?
proximity to detroit
Why does the centre of Canada’s economy remain anchored in Ontario despite recent downturns?
Sheer size of the population, median personnal income is well above the national average, greatest cluster of cities, universities, and technological/research centres, central location within north america
the housing crisis in the US reduced the demand for northern ontario lumber, why is demand for paper diminishing?
- the internet is replacing newspapers, billing/accounting and banking transactions are all using less paper
Forestry in Northern Ontario
Softwood is the main export, majority of land is Crown Land (owned by gov), scattered pulp and paper mills throughout the area, single resource towns are common, evergreen forestry agreements are in place (AAC: annual allowable cut)
What is a major challenge of forestry?
Maintain a balance between logging and regeneration of forest
What percentage of forests are owned by the government?
90%, private forestry companies must obtain leases*
Who is responsible for restoring trees?
Logging companies! They are allowed to cut a certain amount but MUST reforest
Mining in Northern Ontario: what is in the Cdn Shield?
gold, nickel, silver, copper
what leads in provinces/territories?
Metallic mineral production in Ontario leads all other provinces and territories!
What are minerals?
A non-renewable resource that depletes over time, Therefore mining communities can have a short lifespan
Characteristics of Human Geography of Northern Ontario
- aging population, net out-migration (especially of younger people), very few immigrants, a small but increased aboriginal population
Rocky Terrain of Northern Ontario?
makes it difficult to traverse and discourages settlement
The vast majority of the population is along which 2 corridors?
- The northern branch of the Trans-Canada Highway and the Canadian National railroad line
- The Southern Branch of the Trans-Canada highway and the Canadian Pacific railroad line
Agriculture in Ontario
Southern Ontario: most suitable land for agriculture in Canada, due to temperatures moderated by the Great Lakes ample precipitation, and fertile soil
Cropland is dominant in SW Ontario whereas livestock is more common in Eastern Ontario
Agricultural Areas of Ontario (what is grown where)
Grapes/Tomatoes: vineyards and greenhouses are common in SWOntario
Corn: most common, throughout SWO
Tobacco: on a sand plain north of lake Erie: this area has soil that is poor for goring other crops
Fruit: peaches, cherries, and plums in Niagara region
Niagara fruit belt
Between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie: contains a microclimate
Advantages of NFB
1) Lacustrine Soil (originated from a lake, very fertile)
2) moderated climate from the two nearby lakes (longer frost-free season in Fall, cooler temp in Spring that prevents early budding)
3) the nearby Niagara Escarpment protects the area from harsh winds
Manufacturing in Ontario
Reasons for development of manu in this area:
1) geographic advantage (prox to US)
2) Trade restriction (national policy)
3) size of the domestic market
Auto Industry
a major well-paying employer in Ontario for over 100 years
First plants?
In detroit and windsor: auto industry then expanded throughout the lower GL are on both sides of the border
How many manufacturing jobs in Canada depend on the auto industry?
1 in 7
What is good about wages?
higher wages = drive the retail sector of the economy!
5 parts of the auto industry?
suppliers of materials, parts production in small factories, vehicle assembly in massive plants, service firms (advertising/designers), corporate (administration/decision maker)
Just-In-Time Principle?
is used by the industry to take advantage of savings in inventories, warehousing, labour, etc
Auto Pact
Developed in 1965
objectives of the auto pact?
1) to guarantee that canadian plants would not close
2) to allow canadian plants to specialize in certain models
3) to reduce the price of vehicles for Canadians
Auto Pact Agreement
Canada would eliminate 15% tariff on automobiles and parts from the US, the US would eliminate its tariff as well. Canada was guaranteed a minimum level of automobile production.
What was the auto pact the precursor of?
The NAFTA
Automobile Manufacturing in Ontario
in 2004, surpassed Michigan to become the biggest producer of automobiles in North America.
Assembly plant location
Southern Ontario: GM, Chrysler, Ford, Toyota, Honda
the big three
GM ford and chrysler: dominate in the sale of pickups , minivans, SUVs: however all have seen a drop in sales for larger vehicles
Why is no one buying big cars?
- shift in demand for fuel efficient cars (high gas prices)
- increased customer satisfaction with Japanese makes
- more baby boomers are becoming empty nesters and no longer require large vehicles
Asian presence
in 1990 - 90% of north american vehicle production was from the big three; in 2010 this dropped to 60%
Ontario now has what plants?
they’ve attracted japanese companies such as toyota and honda because ON has a highly skilled workforce, publicly funded health care and therefore companies don’t have to cover med insurance
in 2008 what happened?
finances of GM and Chrysler collapsed due to economic crisis in the US, exports of automobiles to the US fell dramatically: ripple effect: thousands of layoffs
how did GM and Chrysler stay afloat?
the canadian and us government kept them afloat by providing billions of dollars in loans: since 2011 both companies have seen increases: the governments did this because they were then credited with saving thousands of well paying jobs in ONtario
Air pollution
dense population in ontario and the US = air pollution is an issue:smog results when sunlight reacts with pollutants emitted by industry/vehicle exhaust = lead to resp problems/especially in young and old
tackling air pollution
ON gov committed to closing all of the coal power plants in the province: natural gas and nuclear plants will be replacing! Hundreds of wind turbines have been built in SW ontario over the past decade
Wind Energy in Southern ON
provincial government = committed to funding wind energy and has created a wind atlas: finds best places for wind turbines to go (why you see so many on the coast/on flat land)
Trade with the US
over 80% of exports go to US
production in other industries (forestry/minerals) also greater than the Cdn market can absorb! Auto trade accounts for 30% of all Canadas trade with the US
Majority of Canadas trade with us cross where?
Detroit or St Clair River
Technology
future of notaries economy.
Technology Triangle of Canada
in the waterloo region (Kitchener, waterloo, cambridge) - software companies and technology manufacturers are headquartered in this region - bb
urbanization
85% of ontarios pop is urban
Largest Urban Centres
Ottawa, TO, Hamilton, Thunder Bay, London, Windsor
Large border cities
Detroit/buffalo
Impacts of Urbanization
- farms are subdivided into smaller units = less production
- reluctance to plant new trees
- greater demand for services (schools/garbage collection/health care)
- speculation (holding land in anticipation of future development = higher land prices)
- lack of confidence in farming (not considered a good long term investment)
Major Urban Centres
Golden Horseshoe: western end of lake ontario, most densely populated in Canada - nearly 7 million people
Toronto
Most populous city in Canada, financial capital, home to main offices of national banks/investment firms, immigrant is a major driving force of population growth; TO is a hub for entertainment industry
In toronto what percentage is a minority?
37% of pop
Ottawa
second largest city in Ontario, located on the Ottawa river across from Gatineau, Quebec
it was chose as capital because it borders ON and QC, both official languages used, federal government is the major employer. fed gov has offices on both sides of the river
Urban Centres of Southern Ontario
Hamilton, Kitchener/Waterloo, London, St Catherines, Windsor
Hamilton
steel production, health care
Kitchener/Waterloo
technology and research
London
insurance, education, regional centre (essentially the capital of southwestern Ontario: people from all over southwestern Ontario come to London to shop/eat/etc)
St Cath/Niagara
tourism
Windsor
Auto manufacturing
Urban centres of Northern Ontario
Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste Marie, North Bay, timmins
Sudbury
nickel and copper mining
Thunder Bay
trans-shipment point on the great lakes
Sault Ste Marie
steel production
North Bay
service centre for surrounding region
Timmins
gold mining
Green belt
Prevents development, in zone surrounding GTA, effort done by provincial government to slow the sprawl
