Module 5 Flashcards
What Atlantic Canada trends suggest a positive future?
o Continuous population growth in urban centres
o Expanding knowledge-based economy
o Solidly-grounded key industrial sectors
What two parts make up Atlantic Canada?
o The Maritimes (Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick) growing
o Newfoundland and Labrador (shrinking)
Population of Canada in Atlantic Canada? (%)
6.4%
Land area of Atlantic Canada? (%)
5.4%
What is ATL Canadas weak economic performance attributed to?
o Fractured geography
o Restricted natural resource base
o Dispersed population
o Distance from key markets
What are some reasons for optimism?
o Discovery of offshore oil and gas deposits
o Huge shipbuilding contract from Ottawa
o Appearance of knowledge-based businesses in major cities
ALT Canadas 2 Physiographic regions
Appalachian Uplands (Maritimes and Newfoundland)
Canadian Shield (Labrador)
ATL Canadas 3 climatic zones
Atlantic
Subarctic
Arctic
Atlantic Zone
o Maritimes and Newfoundland
o Influenced by warm, moist air masses
from Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico
o Arctic storm track dominates in winter
Subarctic Zone
o Labrador interior
o Warmer temperatures than in coastal areas
Arctic Zone
o Northern Labrador and along coast
o Labrador Current brings icebergs from Greenland to coastline→formation of land-fast ice
o Tundra vegetation
o Cool summers
Some environmental challenges
Cod missing
Toxic wastes from cape Breton
Muskrat Falls hydro project
Waves of migration
o Influx of Loyalists after American Revolution
o High volume of Scots, Irish, English, and Welsh due to Scottish Highland clearances and Irish potato famine
* People of Scottish descent are still the largest ethnic group in Nova Scotia
What were the two natural resources that were exploited in ATL Canada?
Cod and the Forests
Canadas regions (1 core and 3 peripheries)
o Core region—manufacturing (Ontario and Québec)
o Rapidly growing region—expanding resource base (British Columbia and Western Canada)
o Slow growing region—declining resource base (Atlantic Canada)
o Resource frontier—many resources exist but few are viable (Territorial North)
what’s the staple trap?
an over-reliance on the export of staples makes an economy (national or regional) vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices and without alternatives when resource depletion occurs
What is the Canadian–American Reciprocity Treaty of 1854?
A trade treaty between Great Britain and the USA – move towards free trade between Atlantic Canada and USA.
When did Newfoundland add “and Labrador” to its name?
2001
Atlantic Canadas Opportunities
o Offshore oil and gasThis opportunity has been negatively impacted by the drop in oil prices
o Tourism
o Shellfish fishing
o Shipbuilding - Irving’s Halifax shipyard is building the Royal Canadian’s Navy’s future fleet
o Mining and processing of nickel
o Knowledge-based economy in Halifax
Since cod is gone, what do fishermen rely on?
Crab and Shrimp :(
Reasons for cod fishery collapse
o Mismanagement led to “tragedy of the commons”
o Modern equipment
* Huge, weighted nets dragged across ocean floor indiscriminately trap all groundfish
What is a tragedy of the commons?
- Resources held in common; free access
- Wealth measured by resource use
- No incentive to conserve
- Tragedy is inevitable: an individual will overuse public resources when it is in his or her best interests
- Solutions?
What % of value does lobster make in maritimes fishery?
62%
The Most historically important renewable resource beyond the sea?
Forestry
Howmuch can you actually farm in ATL Canada?
o Limited by physical geography → arable land constitutes less than 5% of Maritimes and 0.1% of NL
What is ATL Canada characterized as?
The least urbanized region
Summary
- Atlantic Canada remains a slow-growing region
- High rates of unemployment and out-migration are common
- Economic rejuvenation has appeared a in few major cities (E.g. St
John’s) - Outside urban centres, the situation looks difficult
- Mega-resource developments have potential to help regional
development - Lobster exports has breathed new life into the fisheries
