Lecture 10: Atlantic Canada Flashcards
Describe the trend of population growth in Atlantic Canada
Very slow comapred to the rest of the country
What is a consequence of low population growth in Atlantic Canada?
Slow economic growth
Where do half of Atlantic canada’s population live? (6 cities)
Halifax, St. John’s, Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton, Charlottetown
When did the Atlantic Canada provinces join?
NS and NB entered during confederation, PEI in 1873, NL in 1949
How did Canada offset the challeneges of getting martime goods to Central Canada in the 1880s? What was it called, who paid?
Intercolonial Railway → freight rates were cheap and Ottawa soaked deficits
How did the CPR help the Atlantic Canadian economy?
Started producing a lot of steel
What happened in 1919 that damaged economic growth, population growth, and employment rates in Atlantic Canada?
Federal government subsidies for freight rates were eliminated → many migrated to New England and Central Canada
How is economy of Atlantic Canada doing today? (4 things happening)
- Projects are closing (potash in NB and mines in labrador
- Alberta oil sands commuters lost their jobs
- Tourism and shellfish exports benefitting from low Canadian dollar
- Federally funded shipbuilding is key pillar
What is beneath the seafloor of the Great Banks?
Large oil deposits 200km-300km east of Newfoundland
How did falling oil prices inpact oil drilling in Atlantic Canada
Royalties halfed to under a billion and Husky’s project is stuck half finished after NL rejected the offer to invest due to their financial situtation
What is hydrometallurgy and how is it helping the Atlantic Canadian economy?
Value-added component that turns nickel concentrate into nickel in Voisey’s Bay, NL → economic stimulant
Are NL a have or have not province?
They were have not for a long time until recently when oil was discovered, however low oil prices might bring that back down
Are Atlantic provinces going to become have provinces?
Very unlikely
Where does Atlantic Canada’s future lie?
tertiary sector, espeically high-technology industries (ex: Verafin, a anti-financial crime software)
Despite the 75% teritary sector emplotment, why is Atlantic Canadian economy growth stagnant? (2 reasons)
- High unemployment rate
- Low worker count growth rate
What is the main reason of the low growth rate in Atlantic Canada?
Inability to attract immigrants and relocation of its reisdents to economically better parts of Canada
How is urbanization in Atlantic Canada?
More and more people are people are moving to major cities at increasing rates → but they still remain the least urbanized region
Describe population growth in rural Atlantic Canada
Population growth is very low, decline is common
What is the Hibernia project?
Oil project 315km east of St. John’s, NL
Very sturdy oilplatform that can survive intense North Atlantic Ocean storms and icebergs
Has housing for workers
Describe the weather in St. John’s
Rainy, overcast, foggy (april - sept), mild temperatures, heavy snowfalls in winter, tropical storms
What is the Annapolis Valley?
Low lying area in Nova Scotia
How did the Annapolis Valley form?
Glacial retreat
Which Atlantic province is not a Maritime province?
NF
What are the 4 lowest populated provinces?
Atlantic provinces
What two phsyiographic regions are in Atlantic Canada?
Appalachain Uplands and Canadian Shield
How were fjords formed in Atlantic Canada?
Streams of meltwater from melting glaciers cut deeply into the land resulting in hilly terrain and rugged fjords along coastlines
What are the Tablelands in Western Newfoundland?
One of the places in the world where Earth’s mantle is exposed because two tectonic plates collided 350MYA and forced the mantle up and over the coast
Why is the landscape of the Tablelands desert-like despite large amount of precipitation?
The rock of the mantle is ultramafic and lacks the nutrients to support plant life
What are the Torngat Mountains?
Decently big mountains at the very northern tip of Labrador formed 750 Mya
Why is the climate of Atlantic Canada colder than BC?
The water comes from the Labrador current and is very cold whereas the Pineapple express is warm water
What are nor’easters?
Weather systems that move from west to east across NA that gain moisture from the Atlantic aand thus strenghten as they move over the region
What is there so much fog and cloud coverage in Atlantic Canada (Newfoundland especially)?
At any time of year, warm air masses from Gulf of Mexico can travel up the coast and colide with cold continental air masses
What ocean current frequents icebergs
Labrador current → titanic
Why is Newfoundland known for having the least desirable climate of any province?
Low total sunshine hours
Who came to Newfoundland in the year 1000? Where did they established a settlement?
Vikings from Norway, settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows
Who was John Cabot?
Italian explorer who reached Newfoundland in 1497 searching for Asia
Who lived in the Atlantic region in the early 1700s?
Mix of British, French (Acadiens), and Indigenous Peoples (Mi’kmaq)
What was the impact on Atlantic Canada following the Treaty of Utrecht?
The french surrendered Acadia to the British
Why did the Acadians get deported to Louisiana?
The Acadians refused to sign an oath of allegiance to Britain
What part of New France still belongs to France?
St. Pierre and Miquelon
How did the US War of Independance impact the settlement of the Atlantic region?
After the US one, 40,000 British Loyalists migrated to NS and NB
Where did the Scotish and Irish tend to settle?
Scottish in Cape Breton and Irish in NB
Where did Britain source much of its wood from and build ships in the early 1800s?
Atlantic Canada
What two Atlantic provinces joined at time of confederation?
NS and NB
When did PEI join Canada?
1873
When did Newfoundland and Labrador join?
1949
Why were Atlantic Canada provinces reluctant to join?
Due to distance from major cities
What was a driving factor in luring maritime provinces into Canada?
Intercolonial Railway from MTL to Halifax
What was the result of the National Policy?
Southern Ontario and Southern Quebec as a core and Atlantic remaining a periphery
What are the two ways Newfoundland is linked to the rest of Canada?
- Trans-Canada Highway
- Ferry Service
Why has Labrador been drawn into Quebec’s economic orbit?
Geography (Hydro electricity produced in Labrador goes through quebec, iron ore mined goes to quebec, Labrador is connected to the Quebec highway system)
What are the 4 reasons for weak economy in Atlantic Canada?
- The division into 4 seperate provinces discourages an integrated economy
- Natural resources have been exhausted (coal and cod)
- Appalachia causes widespred small towns
- Disconnected from federal gov (geography and seats)
What is the cycle of Atlantic Canadians working in Fort McMurray?
20 days work, 8 days home
Where is unemployment especially high in Atlantic provinces?
Rural areas and costal villages (many are rooted in fishing industry that can no longer support them)
What sparked the steel industry on Cape Breton Island?
Iron mining and demand for steel during railroad construction and WW2
What caused toxic chemicals in Sydney to contaminate ground water and creeks?
The air was heavily polluted and tar ponds contained waste products from the steel mill
How were the Sydney tar bonds fixed?
400m from federal and NS gov to solidify with cement like mixture and be burried in soil
What are the largest banks on the Atlantic coast’s continental shelf?
Grand Bank and Georges Bank
Deinition: Continental Shelf
The extended perimeter of a continent associated with a coastal plain
Why do Banks support wildlife?
Water is shallower, and warmer due to sunlight
Why was Georges Bank in dispute between Canada and USA? What was the decision?
Because it was within 200 nautical miles of both countries - 5/6 to USA, however rich scallops population really benefits NS economy
What is the main difference in catch between Newfoundland and the Martime provinces’ catches?
NF - mostly cod in Grand Banks
Maritime - varity (lobster, scallops, shrimp, flounder, crabs)
What are the drawbacks of more efficient fishing practice of using large nets?
Bad for biodiversity (destroy ecosystems) and contribute more to exploitation
What were the 3 base factors of Cod Fishery mismanagement?
- Estimates of cod stocks by Departement of Fisheries and Oceans were overblown
- Strong pressure for high cod quotas from NL politicians to increase revenue
- Canada does not have control over the outer regions of the grand banks
How have the cod stocks population changed since the cod fishing ban in 1992
Barely any progress and we do not know how long until recovery (cod do not reproduce until 7 years old)
What are the majority of forests in Atlantic Canada?
Coniferous
How many times have fast growing forests been logged in last 300 years?
3
What is causing several pulp and paper mills to close in NB?
The decline of the forestry industry due to reduced demand for newsprint and paper
Why is the nickel mine in Voisey’s Bay, Labrador lucrative?
The nickel is close to surface and mine is close to ocean coast for easy export
What industry is the federal government trying to develop in Hali?
Shipbuilding - 21 Canadian navy ships will be built there
What led to NL becoming a “have” province in 2009?
Petroleum deposits off the coast of St. John’s in wich the government owns 4.9%
What is the Hibernia Oil Project?
Largest offshore drilling operation off the Canadian Atlantic coast
How much of all Canadian oil production comes from Hibernia Project?
12%
Why did contruction of Hibernia project require large initial investment?
To build a platform resistant to ice bergs and nor’easters
How was Smallwood resevoir created?
Caused by the Churchill Falls dam
What is the 2nd largest hydroelectric plant in NA?
Churchill Falls
Why do many residents of NL feel animosity towards quebec?
Because of churchill falls power agreement
What is the Churchill Falls Power Agreement?
Deal for Quebec to buy power from Churchill Falls at 1969 prices until 2041
Why was the Churchill Falls Power Agreement in place?
Churchill Falls power needed to pass through Quebec to get to USA, Quebec refused, negotiated contract
What percentage of land in martime provinces is suitable for agriculture? NL?
NL - 0.1%
Maritime - 5%
What is the agriculture production of PEI?
Potatos
What is the agriculture production of Saint John River Valley in New Brunswick?
Dairy
What is the agriculture production of Annapolis Valley in NS?
Fruit Orchards
What is the capital city of NL and NB?
St John’s - NL
NB - Fredericton
What is The Annapolis Valley? How is it drained?
Low lying area with fertile, well-drained soil provided by glaciers - best agricultural land in Atlantic Provinces
Where is The Annapolis Valley?
NS near Minas Basin and Bay of Funny
How is the population growth of the Atlantic provinces compared to national average?
Well below national average
How many workers worked in AB at the peak of the oil and construction boom in Fort McMurray?
10,000
How did the workers travelling to AB help the NF economy?
They bringed home salaries up to $100,000
What is the rural population of Atlantic provinces comapred to rest of Canada?
46% in Atlantic vs 20% in rest of Canada
Why did many villages (many are declining today) develop around harbours?
When European settlers arrived, they searched for small sheltered harbours that would provide easy access to fishing
Why does the government not like the rural populations of Atlantic Canada?
Expensive to deliver health care, education, and social services
What is the Newfoundland Resettlement Program?
Joint venture between fed and NL gov
Residents of tiny villages encouraged to relocate to one of 77 specified “growth centres”
What were the conditions of the Newfoundland Resettlement Program? How have they changed since?
if at least 75% of residents agreed, those residents received money for moving expenses, require 90% to agree
How many villages were abandoned under the Newfoundland Resettlement Program?
Over 150 villages
How long is Confederation Bridge? What does it connect? Over what body of water? When did it open?
13km, PEI to NB, Northumberland Straight, 1977
How did the Confederation Bridge help PEI?
Boost in tourism and retail sectors
How expensive is the Confederation Bridge?
$47 (one-way), and one of most expensive in the world
What is the largest city in the Martimes?
Hali
Why is Hali an ideal international port?
Its harbour is deep and ice free
What is the Hali economy built on?
Provincial government services, naval base, shipbuilding, tourism
Why does St. John’s have a distinctive style of architecture?
It was capital of the British colony of Newfoundland until 1949
What is the St. John’s economy based on?
Provincial government services and tourism
Where do 1/4 of PEI people live?
Charlottetown
What city is known as the Cradle of Confederation?
Charlottetown - many meetings and negotiations which led to confederation were held there
