Lecture 8 - Western Canada

Question 1

What is Western Canada GDP and unemployment?

Answer 1

24.8 percent - very wealthy region because of oil and gas. 6.4 percent unemployment but the number is skewed because many workers work 6 months on 6 months off etc

Question 2

How many people in Fort McMurray

Answer 2

78,000 people

Question 3

What is significant about Fort McMurray?

Answer 3

largest resource extraction in the world

Question 4

Why is Western Canada growing?

Answer 4

economically wealthy, oil

Question 5

Describe Western Canada physical geography

Answer 5

interior plains, prairies very flat, also a apart of the Canadian shield, Norther Alberta has oil and tar sands

Question 6

Describe Western Canada weather

Answer 6

low annual precipitation because not close to bodies of water, dry cold weather,

Question 7

What is WC natural resource base

Answer 7

wheat, oil and gas

Question 8

what is evapotranspiration

Answer 8

capture measures of water loss through evaporation or transpiration, it helps predict droughts

Question 9

Where is WC agricultural zones

Answer 9

Palliser’s Triangle, many major cities in this fertile belt

Question 10

WC Hudson Bay Company

Answer 10

1670’s used the land, Ruperts land for fur trade

Question 11

When did they move west?

Answer 11

Move west for agriculture in 1870-1914, Red River colony mixing with First Nations Metis

Question 12

Who is Louis Riel?

Answer 12

Metis, catholic, founder of Manitoba, seeked rights for Metis, resisted twice against Canada, wanted rights for land, religion, education. 1885 rebelled, captured, treason, hanged

Question 13

What did Clifford Sifton do?

Answer 13

European colonization

Question 14

What did Macdonald do

Answer 14

promised railroad built 1867, completed 1885

Question 15

How many farms in 1921

Answer 15

250,000

Question 16

How is agricultural economy changing

Answer 16

change from hands to machine (intensive to extensive agriculture), loss of the grain elevator, global demand for food increases, machines take over jobs, mass industrial agricultural advancements to meet globalization, capitalization takes over, economies of scale, efficient production

Question 17

what happen in phase one for Agricultural Transition

Answer 17

• Trade liberalization - no restrictions within boarders for trade
• Disappearance of crow benefit (1995) - shipping rates below shipping costs to combat large distance, stopped in 1995
• Trade barriers - US put tariffs on Canadian products

Question 18

What happen in phase two for agricultural transition

Answer 18

• higher prices for grain, canola, and meat

- demand for biofuel crops (alternative option)

Question 19

Alberta oil

Answer 19

all oil needs to be refined, unconventional oil = tar sands, environmental unfriendly, 1:1 ration needed of water to separate bitumin, high energy to extract

Question 20

what are tailing ponds and what are they creating

Answer 20

contaminated water from separating bitumin, run down stream affecting small First Nation community water supply causing them to have high rate of cancer

Question 21

Fort McMurray

Answer 21

• heart of Canada’s oil production
• 78,000 population, 4300 non-permeant
• Albertans make up half, followed by 17 percent Newfoundland
• most expensive housing in Alberta
• oil sand companies include Syncrude, Suncor Energy, CNRL, Shell, Nexen
• Fort McMurray fire biggest natural disaster in Canada