|

||
|

[Ewhere in our vast country do Canadians live—and notlive?

census metropolitan
area (CMA)
community
Oh! Canada?
continuous ecumene
Chinais Canada’s fourth largest, and fastest-growing, source of tourists after
discontinuous
| ecumene the United States, the United Kingdom, and Frante. This poster promotes
i
survey system 10-day trips to Canada from China,starting at about $4400. Thetrips offered
if dispersed population generally include outdoor or wilderness activities such as skiing, aurora
i concentrated viewing, wildlife viewing, and dogsled trips. Similar imagery is found
population in Canadiantravel ads all over the world. TheBritish Airways website
linear population recently encouraged British tourists to Canadato

Hire a cance to explore Canada’s Great Lakes—

the biggest freshwaterbodies in the world.

Tourism ads about Canadatypically show the wilder parts of the country
with pictures of moose, mountains, bears(ofall types, from cuddly polar
bearcubs to fierce grizzlies), canoes, the northern lights, and Mounties.

i
Í

d | Is this image typical of the part of

Î Canada where you live? Do you
| think it is typical of where most
a | Canadians live? In what ways is this ga
image typical of Canada? Why do 8 e > °
ú | travel companies use images like os à =
A this to attract tourists to Canada?
! Do campaigns with this type of
x | image work?
|
ir .
a 18: _INTERACTIONS WITH THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT | er:

En > asIna = Fe WW EWE OG »

Big Country, Small Population
In many ways, there are two Canadas. Oneis the “True North” of our Aurora Viewing Is Best
to
national anthem,the wild and thinly populated landthatis so attractive in the Winter
foreign tourists. The other Canadais the largely urban place where,tens of Amy Snowdon
millions of people live in relatively small areas of the country. In this chapter, Isalkina is the
we will look in detail at this odd distribution of population. manager of

Canada has a remarkable range of landscapes, both natural and those Blachford Lake
s Lodge, a resort
that human beingshave modified significantly or even completely. Example near Yellowknife that is a leader
of modified landscapes include land usedforcities or for farming. In this in environmental adventure
unit, you will learn about the physical geography of Canada—landforms, tourism in the North. About
and why
climate, soils, and natural vegetation. You will come to underst 60 percent of the lodge’s
are huge
Canadianslive where they do and,at the same time, why there visitors come to view the

areas of the country where few peoplelive. As you think aboutthis,

aurora borealis. The remainder
participate in a wide range
consider both the natural factors and human choicesthat influence where ofactivities from fishing to
peoplelive. conferences.Visitors come from
As we begin ourstudy of Canada’s population,it is critical to all over the world—mainly the
remember that Canada does not have many people for such a large United States, China, Australia,

country. Canada’s area is very similar to (andjustslightly larger than) and Japan. Only 15 percent

the areas of China andthe United States. The three countries are very
come from Canada. Amy's

different, however, when westart talking about people. The population

post-secondary education
was in natural resources and
of the United States is about nine times that of Canada, while China’s environmental management.
population, remarkably,is almost 40 times as much. You can “see” this She also has training in
difference in Figure 1-1, which represents the population densities of the wilderness first aid, firearm
three countries. Population density is generally expressed as the number use, boat operation, forestry,
and business management.
of people per square kilometre.
Canada’srelatively small population is dramatically shown by what
is called an isodemographic map (Figure 1-2 on the next page). (In Greek,
iso means “equal” and demos means “people.”) Most world maps are
drawn so that the size of the country on the map is based on its area. On Gather and Organize
an isodemographic map, a country's population determinesits size on the Canada is a huge country.
map. You will notice that the shape of each country on an isodemographic Brainstorm list. of advantages
mapis the same as its shape on a regular map, but the boundaries may be and disadvantagesofa large

deformed. The resultis that some parts of the world look pretty much as
countrylike Canada.

they do on a map based on area, while other parts look very distorted—
population density the average
either much too big or much too small. numberof people living in a particular
place.It is calculated by dividing
the population of a place (e.g.,
United States: 35 Canada: 4 China: 146 country, province,or city) by the
area of the place.

“Figure 1-1 Each square represents one square

kilometre. The dots represent the average number of people
in that country per square kilometre. In most countries, the
Re populationis actually concentratedin cities or other settled
Source: United Nations areas. Where is Canada’s population concentrated?

CHAPTER | CANADA'S POPULATION PATTERNS

 pm,
it
y

Vietnam VN,
wa
AZ
ma

Aústralia

map of the world

map of the world. CEERD) This
A Figure 1-2 Isodemographic the world maps we are
world. In some ways, this looks like
_ represents various regions of the diffe rent?
is very different. Why does it look
used to seeing; in others ways, it

Mow]
demographic map that look
Communicate
1. Identify two continents on the iso
t does this say about the
Colour choice is important in the similar to those on a regulár map. Wha
creation of any map. Why? Look on these continents?
relative populations of the countries
at a selection of maps in this book
ause they are so large?
UL ESA

and suggest at least two factors 2. Which twocountries stahd out bec
that contribute to an effective
map? Why?
choice of colour. 3. How does Canada appear on this
similar appearance to Canada's
4. Name another country that has a
:
on this kind of map.
tionship is shown graphically
5. What important geographic rela
Y

on this type of map?

6. Whyis this map so powerful?
about Canada?
7, How does this map make you feel
you were looking at a vers ion
8. 4 Patterns and Trends Imagine that
of this map drawn in 2040.

a) In what ways would it be similar?

t?
b) In what ways wouldit be differen

SICAL ENVIRONMENT
20 INTERACTIONS WITH THE PHY
 Population Concentrations in Canada
Isodemographic mapscan also be used to show population distribution
within a country. Figure 1-3 is an isodemographic map of Canada drawn Statistics Canada has created a
usingslightly different logic than the world isodemographic map.Instead profile of each of Canada’s CMAS.

of shapes staying the same and the boundaries changing, as in Figure 1-2,
boundaries on this map are kept the same but the shapesare distorted.
Theeffect is dramatic—you can see that most Canadianslive in just a
small part of the country. In fact, more than 80 percentof the population
lives in cities and towns. Mostof these peoplelive in cities with more than
100 000 people. Geographerscall the population concentrations centred around census metropolitan area
theselargecities census metropolitan areas or CMAs. The CMA that includes (CMA) an urban area in Canada
with a population over 100 000. A
the City of Toronto also includes the adjacent regional municipalities of York, CMA is centred around a city and
Peel, Halton, and Durham. The CMA thatincludes the City of Ottawa generally extends beyond the
bordersof the city.
includesthe City of Gatineau in Québec.

& ¿Cape Breton

Y, NN

Hudson

Atlantic
Ocean

/ KZ Major urban areas 25

¢ [= Water bodies Le
Provincial boundaries dl
N\
\
|
Sources: University of British Columbia; Statistics Canada

A Figure 1-3 Isodemographic map of Canada. On this map, the areas of provinces and
cities are drawn in proportion to their populations. Describe the pattern you see,

oP op CHAPTER §. .CANADA’S POPULATION PATTERNS

 Identifying Canadian Communities
Using Census Data
community a group of people who share common characteristics, Sofar, we have looked at the big picture—comparing
suchas their history, culture, beliefs, or simply the space where they”
live. You belong to more than one community (e.9., your neighbour-
Canada with other countries and looking at the distri-
hood, town, ethnic group, school, country, or even the world). bution of urban areas acróss Canada. Now it is time to
focus on the characteristics of specific communities
Table 1-1 Communities for you to research in Canada. Some of these communities are in large
A. Neighbourhoodin central Mississauga, ON cities, some are individual towns and small cities,

B City of Fort McMurray, AB | and others are in rural areas. In this activity, you will
use data from the census of Canada. The census
€. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhoodin Montréal, QC
publishes data for the whole country, for provinces,
D Rural area in southeastern Saskatchewan
for cities and towns, and evenfor individual neigh-
E Town of Burgeo, NL bourhoods. The census is conducted every five
~ E Town of Palmerston, ON years. That is why you will often see Canadian data
| G. Villageof Carcross, YT | for years ending in 1 or 6 (such as 2011 or 1956).
H. Rural areain northern Nunavut* You will start with a list of 20 communities from
Tim:

“City ofEdmundston,NB | | all over Canada—from coast to coast to coast

Neighbourhood of New Edinburgh-Lindenlea in (Table 1-1). You will then be given 20 sets of data.

Ottawa, ON | Your job is to match the data to the community.

City of Penticton, BC
ANDO DZ Era)

Town of‘Cochrane, ON o. The 20 Communities

“Neighbourhood in northeastern Québec City, QC You maylive in one of the 20 communities. If not,
Hamlet of Gjoa Haven, NU* o chancesare very good that youlive in a place similar to
1

Neighbourhood in Markham, ON | oneof them. Before we go on, it is time for a unique

Rural area in Grey County Ontario geographic perspective on these places —a perspec-
tive that was impossible only a few years ago. You
City of Surrey, BC o
can take a “field trip” to them from your computer,
Moose Lake 3 LA Indian Reserve, MB*
tablet, or even smartphone using Google Earth.
Fashion District neighbourhood in Toronto, ON
You will be able to “fly” over each community (using
Neighbourhood adjacent to the two universities in imagery from various satellites) and zoom in for a
Waterloo, ON closerlook. You will also be able to “drive” through
* Google Street View images are not available for these locations. most of them, using imagery Google collects using
A secondoblique (angle) view is provided in the GeoFlight special vehicles that combine videos with precise
feature instead.
GPSlocations (Figure 1-4). Enjoy your journey!

On to the Data
Take GeoFlight 1.1 to visit the Your teacher will give you a handout that contains 21 data sets—one for
20 communities before you start Canada and one for each of the 20 communities. Data Set 4 in your handout
your community—data matching. has seme comments to help you with your matching.

22 INTERACTIONS WITH THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

=> WU
 AGE? Qui
+
1. Compare your matchesto those of class-
mates. Discuss any differences between
the matches until you have a consensus.
2. a) Once you have successfully done the
matching (your teacherwill tell you
when you are correct), it is time to
A Figure 1-4 If you were lucky, you may have seen or will
see one of these. vehicles driving on your street. It was taking
identify the characteristics that make
images that are geo-referenced in Google Earth to produce a different communities distinct. List
feature called Street View. Check Google Earth to seeif your five to seven important characteristics.
home and school have street views. Note thatif you are new
to Google Earth, you have to download the free program first. b) For each characteristic, identify the
range of possible values that exist in
different communities across Canada.
To get you started with your matching, Data For example, population densities can
Set 4 goes with community A, a neighbourhood range from thousands of people per
in Mississauga. square kilometre to less than one
Work like a detective to match communities and person per square kilometre,
data sets. Look for the important clues and do not be 3. a) Finally, group communities that are
distracted by other data that do not tell you very much. similar because they share two or more
A good way to start is to compare each community's characteristics. Give each group a
values to the overall Canadian values. Look at the data descriptive name based on the charac-
again and see why such a comparison makes sense. teristics that those communities share.
1. Start matching. A few of the communities are very b) Briefly describe the characteristics that
easy to identify because something in the data make each group of communities distinct.
stands out. Look for these placesfirst. 4, a) On page 19, two distinct Canadas were
2. Next, use simple graphic organizers to group mentioned—the onethat foreign tourists
communities that share one characteristic. (Venn cometo visit and the other in which
diagrams may help.) Here are a few suggestions: - most Canadianslive. Divide the
e Group large cities, smaller urban places, and 20 communities into two lists, one for the

rural areas. (How would you know this?) “touristy” parts of Canada and the other
for the parts where most peoplelive.
+ Group communities that are dominantly French
speaking or English speaking. b) Whatsimilarities do the communities
in each list have? Whatdifferences are
e Group communities with substantial First Nation
there within each list?
or Inuit populations.
* Group communities with older populations, c) How are physical characteristics of
younger populations, and “average” populations. the land related to the density and
* Group communities with higher population distribution of the population of the
densities, lower population densities, and very communities in each list?
low population densities.

CHAPTER 4 - CANADA'S POPULATIGS PATTERNS 23

 People Patterns and Terminology
3 Onered dot represents 1000 persons.
EE3 Onebiack dot represents 100 persons
r (shown north of 60°N only).
1000 7
0 500 e Cities with 20.000 to 100 000 inhabitants

MajorCities (CMAs), 2013

km Te
Shiney
Q ATO 100 000 to 200 000
4 -200 000 to 500 000
-500 000 to 1 000 000
- -1 000 000 to 2 000 000
--2 000 000 to 5 000 000”
=-5 000 000+
+ “Whitehorse * ES
24
oe

ker) ST
„SN . » * gYellowknë
. à A E

o +
PE

veer
So “aft |e
$ “Fur, Edmonton EN
St. John's

> <>
„Saguenay Charlottetown
Le innjpeg a
: ta . tm :
E Sudbury qr: CapeBreton
os a
: SA 7)
Regina a x | e] Saint John
Sp Halifax
Thundef
5 Fredericton
;
.
Abbotsford-Missiaïr
Québec
See Trois-Rivères

s pl > Ottawa-Hull Pigs

You havejust seen the tremendousvariety in the communitie rn:
e vt o au
of Canada. In some parts of the country, thous:ands of peopl 5
athat is almost
keterdorou
AShérbroo
fer Tee a >onirea
live in each squarekilometre. In oneare
- . .
a E
A .
e in the 4 eo si Osh Kingston
one-tenth of Canada, thereare only five peopl dE? shawa
:
Cameae Ono |
entire area. In the next two chapters, you will learn
.

London + : ae
the reasons for these incredible differences. Now it is E randitem
tion.
timeto learn little more about Canada’s popula am-Kent
Windsor
To start, we need to develop a common vocabulary for
describing the population patterns wesee. Let's look at
Source: Statistics Canada
“a population distribution map of Canada (Figure 1-5). On
s— :
this map, the populations of CMAs are shown by circle as
popul ation . Elsew here, .
the bigger the circle, the bigger the
by dots. This i . tant À Figure 1-5 Population distribution map
istribution is sh
ulati
ots. This 15 a very impo am of Canada. This country's population distribution
population distri yu onis Own y
connection s is remarkably uneven. In the remainder ofthis
map. You will be referring back to it often to see the
unit, you can learn why.
among population, physical geography, and economic geography.

T
- INTERACTIONS WITH THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMEN

—E — ae TE CG
AABB! Evaluate and
1. Use Figure 1-5 to answer these questions. Draw Conclusions
Canadian cities and towns are
a) Which CMA has a population greater than five million? often twinned with cities and

b) Which CMAshave populations between two million and” townsin other countries.
Whoare the “twins” for your
five million?
community (or another Canadian
e) Which CMAshave populations between one million and community)? In what ways are
the population patterns of the
two million?
twinned communities similar?
d) Which CMAs havepopulations between 500 000 and one million? In what ways are theydifferent?
How is this related to
e) Ina table,list the number of CMAsin each province andterritory. fundamental differences in

f) Name, in order of population from highest to lowest, the four the countries involved?

parts of Canadathat have the most people. This ranking is

based on both the number of CMAsof different sizes and the
overall population density of each region. Find out what communities
a) Ona base map,outline and shade the areas of continuous Canadiancities and towns are
twinned with.
settlement in Canada. Label these areas continuous ecumene.
Hint: Considerthe red dots as well as the CMA circles.
continuous ecumene the part of
b) Next, outline and shade(in a lighter shade of the same colour)
the country where there is continuous,
areas wherethere are patches of population near the continuous permanentsettlement _
ecumene. Label those areas discontinuous ecumene.
discontinuous ecumene the
c) Whyare there gaps in the continuous ecumene? part of the country where there are
significant patchesofsettlement
d) As Canada’s population grows,is the continuous ecumene
likely to get larger? Explain your answer.
e) Whatpatterns of physical and economic geography explain
the existence of the various patches of population that make
up the discontinuous ecumene?

. How is Canada’s transportation system (roads, railways, ships, and

planes used for moving people andfreight) related to the ecumene Y Figure 1-6 Roadsigns at
and non-ecumeneareasof the country? Kenora, Ontario

Figure 1-6 showssigns on a road leaving

Kenora, Ontario. Find Kenora on a map and
identify where it would be in Figure 1-5. Why
might Kenora beseen as the crossroads of the
Canadian ecumene?

. Most Canadianslive in cities. What are the

costs and benefits of-having so many cities?

CHAPTER | CANADA'S POPULATION PATTERNS 25 [|

 u Patterns and Trends

DoesIt Matter If Areas Far from Large Cities

Lose Population? .
Table 1-2 shows the population changes between 2006 and 2011 in some
small Canadian communities from coast to coast. They share a number of
important characteristics:

A Perhaps most importantis that they are

losing population at a time whenCanada's
population is slowly but steadily growing
(Figure 1-7).

& Another is that they are far from Canada's

economic (and population) growth centres —
the CMAs and booming resource towns
and cities.

There are several reasons whyrural areas

like these are losing population. The most
important is poor job prospects. This is a par-
ticular problem for young people whoarefinishing
|
school. Two related questions emerge about
o 8 9 . 9 À Figure 1-7 “Ghost towns” (towns that have been completely abandoned)
communities that are losing people. Can we do do exist in Canada but they are relatively rare. Much more common are |i
anything about it? Should we even be trying? towns,villages, and rural areas that are constantly losing population.

Table 1-2 Examples of small communities with decreasing populations “G COF] :

Population change Median age Gather and Organize

Community 2006-2011 (%) of residents* Are any settlements in your area
=

Canada +59 40.6 losing population and the services

Buchans, NL 8,5 549 that go with a larger population?
a: =

Bas-Caraquet, NB 62 49.0 How would you know? Consider

. . º - both statistical sources on the
Baie-Comeau, QC 20: 452 Internet and evidence you can
North Frontenac, ON 33 57.6 see in the area.
Lorne, MB 5.9 412
Barrier Valley, SK —13.5 477
Coutts, AB 9.2 472
Harrison Hot Springs, BC 6.7 54.0
Source: Statistics Canada
*“Median” means that 50% of the residents are older than that age and 50% are younger.
Why is the median age significant in understanding what is happening in communities like these?

26 INTERACTIONS WITH THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONM6NT

SS SAVE EG
en
We must fin d wa ys to pro tec t sm al l towns and help them sur
vive.
ng people from these
A It is notfair that you
thevillages and towns
g Rural communities, and communities need to leave hom
e to find a job
important part of our
that support them, are an after theyfinish their education.
ada the special place
history and help make Can
ations to these com-
it is. Without them, Canada
is a less varied and E Companies could move oper
find ways to help s and lowercosts.
interesting place. We need to munities and find willing worker
these communities survive. ide a lifestyle alternative
B These communities prov
out of the big cities.
for people who want to move

Er
Jt may be sa d tha t th es e pl ac es ar e declining, but there is no
thing

that can or sh ould he done about it.

ices, such as roads and
A The cost of providing serv
today is different
Canada’s population pattern schools, to these communities
is too high.
in our economy
because of basic changes
it makes the most sense
and technology. 6 Companies locate where
move away from
for them. If it made sense to
vities in rural areas
B In the past, economic acti CMAs, they would have alre
ady done so.
and fishing) required
(forestry, agriculture, mining,
n means that these
more workers. Mechanizatio
. We can't go back
workers are no longer needed
in time.

a problem in
es of how 3. Why is population loss not
1. a) Give three specific exampl rural communities that are rea
sonably close
of
technology is reducing the number to large cities (less than 200 kilome
tres)?
jobs in rural areas.
to help rural
the survival 4. a) What could governments do
b) How might the Internet help communities survive?
ng more
i of small communities by allowi involved
E people to work there? b) @EEED Should governments be
?
people in these in this situation? Why or why not
<2. a) What options do young e? Should we
y finish 5. What is your view on the issu
‘ parts of Canada have when the n loss?
ï high school and post-secondary
education? be worrying about rural populatio
ut it?
h the young If so, what should we do abo
4 b) Why is this stressful for bot
8 people and their families?

NS 27 [|
CHAPTER 1 CANADA'S POPULATION PATTER
 Rural Settlement Patterns
lar area:
Three important factors affect the pattern of rural settlementin a particu
first place.
Chapter 2 describes Canada's + The nature of the resources that attracted people to the area in the
tural region will be
physical features and how they affect For example, the settlementpattern in a rich agricul
.
where peoplelive.
quite different from the pattern in an area based on commercial fishing
tled.
+ The transportation methods that were in use when the area wasset
and
If people travelled by water(orin winter by sled on frozen rivers
EE,
Bow,

later when
lakes), the pattern will be different from that in areas settled
survey system a grid system
travel was by railwayor on roads.
ad

usedto locate and identify parcels

of land and roads © Therole ofgovernmentin determining the pattern. In someareas of
ment.
dispersed population a Canada, settlement occurred with little, if any, influence by govern
the
population spread evenly across the People pretty much settled where they wanted, keeping in mind
land; commonin agricultural areas rn Ontario
two factors mentioned above. In other areas, such as Southe
concentrated population a and the southern Prairies, the governmentimposed a survey system
n of
population focusedin patches with
specific resource industries, such
before settlement occurred. The survey system included a patter
as mines orpaper mills roads andlots thatstill exist.
bed
linear population a population As a result of these patterns, populationsin rural areas can be descri
settled alonga line, such as a 1-9).
coastline, river, or highway - as being dispersed, concentrated, or linear (Figures 1-8 and

>> Figure 1-8 Whatfactors do

A
you think influenced each of these
settlement patterns?

Y Figure 1-9
u Spatial Significance What Concentrated Linear
Dispersed
settlement pattern or patterns
do you see in these photos?
SE

f
AD
LÉ

T
“28. * INTERACTIONS WITH THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMEN

= VU q men Y e Gh
 1. If you live in a city in Ontario south of the 2. Examine the four mapsin Figure 1-10.
Canadian Shield, the grid of major roads you a) For each, decide which settlement pattern
use is the product of the survey system that exists (see Figure 1-8).
was imposedin thefirst half of the 1800s.
Mostcommonly, the roads are located b) Analyzetherelative importance of each
2 kilometres apart, although various factor described on the previous page in
patterns were used. Name someof these creating the patterns yousee.
roads in your community.

iii)
Source: Natural Resources Canada

A Figure I-10 Each of these topographic maps shows a different rural settlement pattern.
Note that houses are shownastiny black squares. Barns andsimilar buildings areslightly larger
black rectangles. The scale of these maps is 1:50 000.

CHAPTER | CANADA'S POPULATION PATTERNS nº |