Lecture 6 - Ontario Flashcards
What are the chapter themes?
- Ontario is the engine of the Canadian economy
- Ontario’s economy is highly dependent on the automobile industry
- Ontario is the political ‘linchpin’ of Confederation
What are the 2 largest cities in Canada?
Toronto and Montreal
What is weather like in southern Ontario?
hot long humid summers, short cold winters
What modifies Ontario’s weather?
great lakes
Northern Ontario has?
fewer natural assets and 7 percent of Ontario population
Hudson Bay lowland is what?
one of least populated regions in all of Canada
Where are major cities located near?
St. Lawerence river
What happened in 1774?
British loyalist moved north
what help grow and change provincial boundaries?
looking for agriculture and other resources
What is Reciprocity Treaty of 1854
British and USA trade agreement, similar to NAFTA
What is the National Policy 1879?
high tariffs on imported goods
Who is John A. MacDonald?
first prime minister, good negotiator, understood importance of flow of goods
Northern Ontario
- old resource hinterland
- characterized by: aging population, a net out-migration, lack of immigration
- largely dependent on mining, forestry and tourism
What were the challenges in the forest industry in Northern Ontario?
- forest regeneration
- changing species
- aging pulp and paper plants - drop in demand
- softwood lumber - trading with USA
How is Ontario industry shifting?
primary and secondary to tertiary
What is the Niagara Fruit Belt?
Some of the best soil for growing fruit like grapes for wine
When did the auto industry begin?
1965 with the Auto Pact
what is the Auto Pact?
- Agreement between Canada and USA to make cars more efficient
- Canadian plants would not close
- took advantage of economies of scale by specializing, produce something as cheap as possible
- reduced cost of cars to Canadians
How many Ontario workers employed by auto industry?
150,000
how much did they export in 2002?
$97 billion
How did government help grow industry?
government funded auto research/technology in McMaster and Windsor - Agglomeration effect
How is auto industry shifting?
shift from Big 3 (Ford, GM, Chrysler) to Japanese-based manufacturers (Toyota, Honda)
What is ‘just in time’ production?
- auto parts are produced in small batches - sent to customers as needed
- outsourcing - decreases costs
- works on a global level
- accessing materials from all over the world
Where are auto assembly plants located in Ontario?
Windsor, Alliston, Oshawa, Cambridge, Woodstock, Ingersoll, Brampton, Oakville
What auto industry researching now?
electric and self driving vehicles
What are the auto industry trends?
Big 3 loss in sales due to:
- Higher gas prices = smaller, fuel efficient cars
- performance and quality of Japanese vehicles
- Baby boomers don’t need big cars
