Welcome to your neighbor to the
north… Canada!
Instead of states, Canada is divided up into 13
regions called, provinces or territories.
Canada Overview
Canada is the second largest country in the world, after Russia. Due to its vast area Canada features a
variety of climates and terrains.
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British Columbia has a wet climate on its Pacific coastline, near-desert conditions in the interior, and
cooler temperatures in the high elevations of the Rocky Mountains.
The provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are dominated by southern prairies and northern
forests and tundra.
Much of northern Canada—including parts of the Yukon, Nunavut (a new territory created in 1999), and
Northwest Territories—is uninhabited because of the arctic climate and permanently frozen ground.
The Great Lakes moderate the climate of southern Ontario, where summers are hot and humid but
winters bring snow and freezing temperatures.
East of Ontario is Québec, Canada's largest province. The Canadian Shield—a huge, U-shaped, rocky
expanse surrounding the Hudson Bay—covers most of Québec and includes thousands of miles of forest.
Much of the province's timber, mining, and hydroelectric wealth is found there. Although the Appalachian
Mountains extend into northern New Brunswick, most of the Atlantic provinces' interior terrain is low and
flat. This landscape has plateaus, valleys, and rocky terrain along the coast.
Parlez-vous Français?
French colonists arrived in Canada in the 1600s, settling along the Saint Lawrence
River in the territory they called New France. During the 1600s, Britain fought with
France for the territory. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris gave Britain control over New
France, which was renamed Québec. At about the same time, British Loyalists who
had left the 13 colonies after the American Revolution also began settling in the
area. As a result, English and French are the official languages in Canada. Most
provinces use English, but in Québec, more than 8 out of 10 people speak French
as a first language. The French spoken in Québec is slightly different from what you
would hear in France. Also, native groups speak their own languages; the Inuit use
a language called Inuktitut, which is very complex and hard to learn.
Some helpful French phrases:
~Hello : Salut (SA-loo)
~Good-bye : Au revoir (OH rev-WAHR)
~Please: S’il vous plaît (SEEL voo play)
~Thank you: Merci (mare-SEE)
~Yes: Oui (wee)
~No: Non (noh)
Canada’s Government
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Canada is a confederation with a parliamentary democracy; its government is similar to the
United Kingdom's but also has a federal system like the United States. The federal
government is responsible for national defense, international relations, the banking system,
the criminal code, and the indigenous (native peoples) populations. The provinces are
responsible for education, health care, and welfare. The greater resources of the federal
government have led to its involvement in matters originally provincial (e.g., employment,
insurance, and medicare).
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Ceremonial duties of the head of state are performed by the governor-general (currently
Michaëlle Jean), who represents Queen Elizabeth II. Canada's federal Parliament is made up
of a Senate composed of as many as 105 senators appointed by the governor-general upon
the prime minister's recommendation. The Senate rarely exercises its full powers.T he
elected, 308-member House of Commons is the real legislative power. The prime minister
(currently Stephen Harper) heads the government The leader of the party that gains the
most seats in the House of Commons becomes the prime minister. Parliamentary elections
are held at least every five years. The voting age is 18.
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Canada's major political parties include the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the Bloc
Québécois, and the New Democratic Party.
Canada has one of the strongest economies in the world. It is a leader in the
production of gold, silver, copper, uranium, nickel, lead, oil, natural gas,
agriculture, wood pulp, and timber-related products.
Canada's currency is the Canadian dollar (CAD). Canadians refer
to the one-dollar coin as the loonie, after the image of the
waterbird (the loon) minted on the coin.
Likewise, the two-dollar coin is called the
toonie.
Canada has two national sports: ice hockey in
the winter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrtCcXXNcGA
and lacrosse in the summer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrtCcXXNcGA
The Arts
The ocean greatly
influences Atlantic
Canadian songs, art,
poetry, and prose as well
as folk festivals and
other community
events. Prince Edward
Island is the birthplace
of Lucy Maud
Montgomery (author of
Anne of Green Gables)
and a popular place for
those interested in
seeing sites in her books.
Native American
tribes are reviving
traditional arts,
many of which
began before
European settlers
arrived. These
include clothing
decorated with
paint, beads, and
porcupine quills;
jewelry;
leatherwork;
woodwork; and
feather work.
Montréal's annual
jazz, comedy, and film
festivals are popular
attractions. The
Canadian filmmaking
industry is known for
its innovation.
Contemporary dance
and traditional ballet
companies enjoy wide
audiences and critical
acclaim.
Our first stop, will be Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland.” It was
named by King James I of England in 1621. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province
in Canada, after Prince Edward Island. It’s about twice the size of Massachusetts and is
shaped like a lobster. Even though most of Nova Scotia is surrounded by water, it is
attached to the mainland by a narrow isthmus (strip of land). Nova Scotia has
temperatures that are generally warm in the summer and cold in the winter. Average
temperatures in the summer are around 65°F. July is the hottest month. The average
temperature in January, the coldest month is 25°F. The moist air off the Atlantic
creates heavy fog in the early summer, particularly around the Bay of Fundy. It also
brings frequent rain and ice storms. The province usually receives about 70 inches of
snow each year.
The majority of the wildlife in the Maritime Provinces is made up of small
animals like foxes, otters, and porcupines. Common larger animals include
white-tailed deer, moose, wildcat, and black bear. The waters around the
provinces are home to seals, cod, and salmon as well as many waterfowl such
as heron, loon, and duck. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWTphlw6o4M
John Cabot was an Italian explorer working for the
king of England. On a voyage that he thought
would take him to China, Cabot landed in North
America and sailed to Cape Breton Island in 1497.
Cabot claimed the entire land for England. He
returned home with stories of waters full of so
many fish that you could reach out your hand and
catch one. Fishermen quickly started sailing for
Nova Scotia to try their nets in this new territory.
Upon arriving, they met the Mi’kmaq people and
began trading metal tools and cloth for fur. In
1534, Jacques Cartier explored the area and
claimed all of it for France. French fishermen
poured in as well, and they also set up a bustling
fishing and shipping business. The French got
along well with the Mi’kmaq and the two groups
worked together often. The Mi’kmaq taught the
newcomers how to build canoes and snowshoes
and survive in the cold weather. However, England
and France were both more interested in the fish
and fur the land could provide than the land itself.
So neither country set up a permanent
settlement, and for a while, they worked side by
side without many problems. The French
fishermen named the region L’Acadie, or Acadia.
The majority of people in Nova Scotia live
along the coast or in the valleys. About 80
percent of the population is of British
ancestry, and one-third of those are Scottish.
As a result, Gaelic (the traditional language of
Scotland and Ireland) is still spoken,
particularly by Capers—the residents of Cape
Breton Island. Nova Scotia is also home to the
oldest and largest African Canadian
population in the country. Many of their
ancestors came from the American colonies
during and after the Revolutionary War and
the War of 1812. There are more than 30,000
First Nations peoples in Nova Scotia. Smaller
groups include Acadians and Métis. Eleven
percent of the population is Acadian,
descendents of the original French settlers.
The Acadians speak French as their first
language and generally live on the northeast
coast of Cape Breton Island or on the western
mainland. There are about five thousand
Métis.
Dill’s Giant Pumpkins
Windsor, Nova Scotia, is known as the Pumpkin Capital of the World.
Around 20 years ago, Howard Dill began growing a new variety of
pumpkin—the Atlantic Giant. Dill’s giant pumpkins are the largest in the
world, some weighing in at more than 1,500 lbs! The town began holding
an annual pumpkin festival and weigh-off in the month of October. In
1999, festival organizers started the Annual Pumpkin Regatta. Contestants
work in teams to hollow out the insides of their giant pumpkins, decorate
them, climb inside, and then race them across Lake Pesaquid. The first
pumpkin-paddler to cross the 550 yard distance wins.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzJVFdB4BRo
Our next stop… New Brunswick!
New Brunswick is divided up into three main regions. The northwestern region is
part of a large plateau (high, flat land). Central and eastern New Brunswick is
covered in gentle, rolling hills, which slope down to the coastal region in the south.
The coast is quite marshy with many rivers and streams leading to the sea. The
largest of these is the Saint John River, which measures 418 miles long. The Bay of
Fundy is the province’s largest bay and separates New Brunswick from Nova Scotia.
An isthmus (narrow strip of land) connects southeastern New Brunswick with Nova
Scotia. Prince Edward Island lies to the east of the province across the
Northumberland Strait. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRbvvzK-ll0
The world’s first individually wrapped chocolate bars were
made in 1910 in Saint Stephen—Canada’s Chocolate Town!
They sold for five cents apiece. The small town of St. Stephen prides itself on being
Canada’s Chocolate Town. The annual Chocolate Festival, along with the Chocolate
Museum, celebrates the town’s long chocolate and candy-making history, which
started in 1873 when the Ganong brothers began making their own homemade
chocolates to sell in their grocery store. For more than twenty years, St. Stephen
has held the festival every August. Chocolate lovers can wander through the
museum, watch demonstrations, and learn how to make hand-dipped chocolates
themselves. Best of all, though, are the many chocolate taste testing contests!
The New Brunswick Highland Games and Scottish Festival is held every year at the end of July
in Halifax. The event is kicked off with a tattoo (military drum performance). Traditional
Scottish music, dance, and sports competitions follow over the next few days. Sword dancing
and the caber toss are two of the most popular events. A sword dance is a war dance
performed solo over one or two swords lying on the ground. The goal is to successfully
complete the dance without touching or moving the sword(s) at all. A caber is a log 20 ft.
long and weighing around 120 lbs. Contestants grasp the end of the caber in their cupped
hands, brace it vertically against their shoulder, and run forward throwing it end over end.
The object is to throw it as straight as possible so the caber falls directly in front of the
contestant.
The famous Reversing Falls
are a series of waterfalls
on the Saint John River.
The incoming tides from
the Bay of Fundy force the
falls to reverse their course
and flow uphill twice a day,
defying the force of
gravity!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRtnasSBYSI
On to Prince Edward Island
As the smallest province in the nation, Prince Edward Island covers a total area of
2,185 sq miles. It’s about the same size as the state of Delaware. Every place you
can go on the island is less than 10 miles from the ocean. Prince Edward Island is
located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is shaped like a crescent moon. The
province is separated from its fellow Maritime Provinces—Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick—by the Northumberland Strait. All but one lake and one river in the
province are saltwater, and the island’s stunning beaches stretch for close to 500
miles. The coastline is dotted with lagoons, bays, and sandstone cliffs, while the
inland is covered in sandy dunes and rolling hills. Hillsborough Bay and Malpeque
Bay are the two largest bays in the province.
Prince Edward Island farms are known
for their unusual red soil. The redness
comes from the soil’s high levels of
iron-oxide (rust). Crops grow so well in
this soil that Prince Edward Island was
nicknamed The Garden Province.
Potatoes are the most important crop
and are responsible for almost half
the island’s total agricultural output.
Prince Edward Island supplies Canada
with more potatoes than any other
province. Potatoes are shipped to 30
different countries all over the world.
Cattle, pigs, and tobacco are also
important crops, and dairy farms are
found throughout the province.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS0J4OHZQAk
Prince Edward Island College of Piping
The majority of the Island’s population descends from either Scottish or Irish
settlers. These descendents take great pride in the establishment of the College of
Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada in Summerside. This college is the only
one of its kind in North America. Open year-round, the college offers instruction in
traditional Celtic disciplines such as dance, drumming, and Highland bagpiping. As
part of its goal to preserve the island’s Celtic culture, the College of Piping hosts an
annual Celtic Festival with evening concerts all summer long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rNFXnU3qjk
Newfoundland and Labrador
Viking explorer Leif Eriksson set out from
Greenland and landed in North America
around the year 1000. Eriksson became the
first known European to explore North
America. He and his men sailed in two
wide, round ships known as knorrs. They
explored what is now Labrador and also
founded the first known European
settlement in North America at L’Anse aux
Meadows in 1003. The Vikings were
impressed with the plentiful salmon in the
waters, and they named Labrador
Markland, meaning “woodland.” More
Viking settlers arrived soon after Eriksson’s
voyage. They had many conflicts with the
native peoples and struggled with the
harsh climate, so they abandoned their
settlements and returned to their
homeland.
L’Anse aux Meadows is the site of a
Viking settlement that was discovered
in 1960. It is the only real Viking
settlement in North America outside
of Greenland. The settlement dates
back to the year 1000 when a Viking
ship from Greenland landed on the
coast of Newfoundland’s Great
Northern Peninsula. There the
explorers built the settlement that
became L’Anse aux Meadows, and the
remains of homes, workshops, and
even a forge (blacksmith shop) can still
be seen today. It was declared a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978
and is now open to the public.
Volunteers stage Viking reenactments
as well as demonstrations of what
daily life was like more than a
thousand years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzzAs1noEcA
Black bear, fox, woodland caribou, and otter are all animals native to
Newfoundland and Labrador. Labrador has a wider variety of wildlife. There you
can also find polar bear, wolves, and mink. Seabirds such as puffins and gulls are
common all along the coasts, but no snakes or reptiles can be found anywhere in
the province.
Next stop, Quebec
Three times larger than France, Québec. It is the largest province in Canada and is
second in size only to the territory of Nunavut. The three main geographic regions
in Québec are the St. Lawrence Lowlands, the Appalachian Highlands, and the
Canadian Shield.
Did you know?
– Québec gets its name from the Algonquin word kebec, meaning “the place where the
river narrows.”
– Québec produces 75 percent of the world’s maple syrup!
– Montréal is the second-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, France.
– Canada’s first ice hockey team was formed in Montréal in 1877.
– Two Montréalers, a reporter and a photographer, invented the game Trivial Pursuit in
1980.
– Québec is the only province in Canada where English is not an official language. French
is the only official language.
In Search of Gold
In 1534, King Francis I of France
sent explorer Jacques Cartier to
the Gulf of St. Lawrence in search
of gold. Cartier claimed the land
for France and made several trips
to and from Europe. He brought
back what he thought was gold
and diamonds, but which actually
turned out to be pyrite (fool’s
gold) and quartz. France
eventually gave up on finding
riches, but French trappers soon
realized that fur was the real
treasure in the new land. By the
early 1600s, the French trappers
had started a highly successful fur
trading industry with the native
bands (tribes) in the area. In 1608,
Samuel de Champlain established
a fort at a point on the St.
Lawrence River . The new
settlement became known as
Québec.
New France
Though fur traders did very well in the new colony, few other French people wanted to
leave their homes for a new land that was not as good for farming. To encourage more
farmers to move to New France, the government set up the Company of One Hundred
Associates. This company gave portions of land to seigneurs (agents or landlords). The
seigneurs promised to divide up their land between farmers who would pay them a fee
in exchange for the right to work and live on the land. There were many more men
than women living in the colony and so the king sent hundreds of single women to
New France as brides for the soldiers, traders, and farmers living there. These women
were known as filles du roi (daughters of the king), and as they married and started
families, the population of New France soared.
Cirque du Soleil
In 1984, the government of Québec was in search of entertainment acts to
celebrate the 450th anniversary of French explorer Jacques Cartier’s arrival in
Canada. In response to the search, two street entertainers, Guy Laliberté and
Daniel Gauthier, founded the Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun). Cirque du Soleil is
made up of human performers and each show tells a story accompanied by
original musical scores. Acrobats, trapeze artists, and jugglers are some of the
artists involved. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhWQLV-S3js&feature=related
Sugar Shacks
Quebecers know it's officially spring when the sap begins to flow in the maple trees. Every
spring, many Quebecers travel into the countryside to visit a cabane a sucre (sugar house) for
the traditional making of maple syrup. Families gather in late March or early April and feast
together on a variety of foods made with maple syrup. Popular dishes include oreilles de
crisse (fried strips of salt pork), sugar pie, omelettes, and grands-pères (dumplings), all made
with sweet, homemade maple syrup. But the favorite treat for kids is maple taffy. They go
outside and throw globs of maple syrup on the snow and then scoop the hardened treats up
again on little sticks. Families follow their feasts with traditional dances, music, and sleigh
rides. Many towns in Québec hold maple festivals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxinJbbFL00&feature=PlayList&p=C988FE8F556B7655&playnext=1&index=5
Ontario, the heartland province
Ontario is the second-largest province in Canada and covers 415,598 sq miles. Ontario has
many rivers and rocky landscapes, so you can find lots of rapids and waterfalls in the
province, including the famous Niagara Falls on the border of Ontario and New York.
The War of 1812
On 18 June 1812, the United States of America
declared war on its mother country, Great Britain.
This declaration included Britain’s colonies in North
America. U.S. General William Hull’s forces invaded
Upper Canada in the area that is now Windsor,
Ontario, on July 12, 1812. The attack was an
attempt to weaken British control in North
America. Canadian forces immediately fought back.
Many aboriginal (native) groups joined these
forces, helping to drive out the American invaders
and put down several of the initial attacks. Loyalist
settlers, who were people who fought for the
British during the American Revolution and later
fled to Canada, also took up arms and fought on
the Canadian side. British and Canadian troops kept
the Americans at bay until the United States won
the Battle of the Thames near Chatham, Ontario,
on October 5. 1813. Leaders signed the Treaty of
Ghent in 1814. The war was officially over, and
neither side had given up any land, but borders
between the United States and Canada were firmly
set by this treaty.
First Nations, Métis, and Aboriginal Peoples
Close to three percent of Ontario’s population (around 309,000 people) is
aboriginal (native). There are a total of 134 First Nations reserves (land set aside
for native use) within the province. The Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve in
southern Ontario is the most populous reserve in Canada. The Six Nations reserve
has a population of more than 20,000 people, representing the Mohawk, Cayuga,
Tuscarora, Oneida, Onondaga and Seneca First Nations. Residents elect members
to a governing council which oversees reserve affairs. Every year the reserve hosts
the Wahdakeh, or Six Nations Native Pageant, which is an outdoor forest theatre.
The pageant draws thousands of visitors and features live performances, food, and
crafts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1guvKB0Rwgw&feature=PlayList&p=6513E4AD818D754C&playnext=1
&index=34
Métis (people with both European and native heritage) see themselves as a
distinct nation of aboriginal (native) peoples. The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO)
was formed in 1994 with the goal of bringing Métis from all over Ontario together
to preserve their culture and promote their interests and wellbeing. The MNO has
developed education, health care, housing, youth, and numerous other programs
to help its members achieve their goals in life. Currently the MNO Cultural
Commission is sponsoring an oral history project in which Métis youth will hold
storytelling sessions with Métis elders, recording the histories and stories of their
people.
Agriculture
Ontario is Canada’s top
agricultural province. The
southwest region is the heart of
the agricultural industry, since
northern Ontario’s soil is rocky and
not suited to farming. Beef, dairy,
fruit, corn, and mixed farms are all
found within the province. Hay,
oats, corn and other grains are
important crops, while peaches,
grapes, and cherries are grown in
the Niagara region. There are two
main dairy regions, near Toronto
and Ottawa.
Manufacturing
Ontario leads the nation in
manufacturing, producing more than
half of all goods manufactured in
Canada. Manufacturing also makes up
the majority of Ontario’s economy. Many
of the products manufactured in Ontario
are sold to foreign markets, particularly
to the United States since no tariffs
(fees) have to be paid on goods sold
between the two countries. Automobile
and transportation vehicles are leading
manufactured goods
Mining
Around 50,000 Ontarians work in the mining
industry, the most of any province in Canada. Copper,
nickel, zinc, platinum, and silver are abundant in
Ontarian mines. Ontario also produces half of Canada’s
gold, mostly from mines in the north of the province.
Southern mines produce salt, clay, and gravel. The Lake
Huron area is rich in natural gas and petroleum. It even
has a town called Petrolia, which was once the center of
the gas industry.
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Manitoba; The Last, Best West
The Canadian national government encouraged westward expansion after
Manitoba became a Canadian province in 1870. The area would need large
numbers of immigrants to live and work the land to become a developed province.
The government began an aggressive campaign to recruit immigrants from all
parts of the world. The most common slogan used in such campaigns referred to
Canada as “the last, best west.”
Thousands of Germans, Ukrainians, and other eastern Europeans came to
Manitoba to take advantage of the free land. Russian Mennonites (peaceful,
independent Protestant groups) fled Russia in search of religious freedom and
exemption (release) from military service, bringing with them new farming
practices. Icelandic fishermen came to Manitoba in the 1870s and set up a fishing
village on the western shores of Lake Winnipeg. They named their village Gimli,
which means “paradise” in Icelandic.
With the rapid growth of the Canadian railroad, workers were always needed.
Many of those workers were Chinese immigrants, who often sent money home to
their families back in China. All of these groups brought their unique heritages to
the young province, creating an early blend of cultures in “the last, best west.”
Curling
Curling is a very popular sport in Manitoba! Curling was developed in
Scotland in the Middle Ages. Manitoba’s earliest settlers were Scottish, who
brought the sport to their new home. It is played on long, narrow sheets of ice
between two teams, each with four curlers. Players attempt to slide large, smooth
stones down the ice lanes to the house (target). Two players follow the stone with
brooms, sweeping its path so it will slide smoothly and in a straight line. The team
with the most stones near the centre of the house wins. Bonspiels (curling
tournaments) are highly attended events and the Granite Curling Club centered in
Winnipeg is the oldest club in Western Canada.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM5mFH3_Qhs
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is shaped like a rectangle and all
four of its boundaries are straight lines. There
are three geographic regions in the province: the
Canadian Shield, the Plains, and the Hills. The
Canadian Shield stretches across the northern
third of Saskatchewan and is made up of ancient
rock that used to be covered by glaciers. It’s now
a very rugged, forested area. The Plains region is
in central and southern Saskatchewan. Most of
the province’s cities are located in the Plains as
well as the most productive farmland. The Hills,
Saskatchewan’s third region, is in the
southwestern corner of the province. These
steep hills make up the highest land in
Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan River runs
from the west to the east and is the province’s
most important waterway. Half of
Saskatchewan's land is covered in forests, while
one-third is used for farmland.
Beaver Fur
In the late 1600s, Europeans reached the area that
is now Saskatchewan in search of beaver fur. At
the time, beaver fur was used to make hats that
were popular in Europe. Hudson’s Bay Company
traders realized that the native inhabitants of the
land were best at trapping beavers, so they set up
trading posts where natives could bring the beaver
pelts and trade them for manufactured goods such
as cloth, guns, and metal tools. Soon French fur
traders joined in the business. First Nations
peoples traded steadily with both groups and
often served as guides to the newcomers. Many
European settlers married aboriginal (native)
women and had families. Their children were
known as Métis (mixed blood). Fur hunting and
trading quickly became a way of life for the Métis,
who grew up in the new settlements.
Prairie Fiction
Saskatchewan has a lively and long
literary tradition. In 1947, W.O. Mitchell
published his novel Who Has Seen the
Wind. The book focuses on a young boy
named Brian growing up in the Canadian
prairies during the Great Depression and
has since become a classic of Canadian
literature. Often called the Mark Twain of
Canada, Mitchell is considered a pioneer
in what became an entire genre of
literature—prairie fiction. In 1969,
Saskatchewan poet Anne Szumigalski
helped found the Saskatchewan Writers
Guild to help encourage and promote
Saskatchewan writers. Four years later,
Szumigalski also helped start Grain, a
provincial literary journal. For more than
30 years, Grain has continued to publish
the best in new literature and art from
Canada and around the world
The Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a
Canadian Football League (CFL) team
based in Regina. They are the only
professional sports team in
Saskatchewan. Originally, the
Roughriders were a rugby team founded
in Regina in 1910. In 1948, they became
the Regina Roughriders. Now the Riders
play for the CFL’s West Division, and
their colors are green, white, black, and
silver. The team has gone to the Grey
Cup (CFL championship) seven times in
the history of the club and has captured
the national title twice, once in 1966
and again in 1989. Roughrider fans take
their roles seriously, so home games are
always highly attended. Some fans even
make green “helmets” out of carved out
watermelons and wear them during the
games!
Alberta
This region has fertile farmland, on
which ranchers raise cattle and farmers
grow wheat and canola. Southeastern
Alberta is often known as the
“badlands,” because wind, rain, and the
Red Deer River have eroded the rock to
form strange formations called hoodoos.
Hoodoos are tall pillars of rock shaped
like toadstools that grow out of the cliffs
and gullies in the area. The badlands are
also known for dinosaur fossils, found in
layers of rock which have been eroded
by wind and rain over the centuries. The
Rocky Mountains region runs along
Alberta’s southwestern border and
includes both the highest point in the
province, Mount Columbia at 12,294 ft,
and the highest town in Canada, Lake
Louise at 5,052 ft.
1988 Winter Olympics
In 1988, on the third try, Calgary, Alberta, won
the right to host the Winter Olympics. A few
years before, the city had built the
Saddledome Arena to house their National
Hockey League (NHL) team, the Calgary
Flames. The Saddledome was a perfect venue
(location) for Winter Olympics indoor ice
events and helped the city win the bid. Even
though Calgary has long been growing rapidly,
until the Olympics were held in the city, it had
been known mainly as a “cow town.” Hosting
the Olympics brought the attention of the
world to Calgary. The 16-day event was a huge
success, and the city is still benefiting, as
athletes continue to come to the Saddledome
and other facilities to train for winter sports.
Skaters say Calgary has the best and fastest ice
in the world.
The Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is a 10-day rodeo
held in Calgary each year in the second
week of July. It is known as The Greatest
Outdoor Show on Earth, and every year
more than a million rodeo competitors
and fans from around the world descend
on Calgary. The stampede includes a
festival and exhibition, complete with a
parade, a ferris- wheel, concerts, and
chuck wagon races. First Nations peoples
set up a traditional village to display their
culture and crafts, while ranchers and
farmers come to display their livestock
and produce. Bronco riding and barrel
racing are popular sporting events, while
the annual pancake breakfast is always a
favorite. Stampede volunteers serve up
thousands of pounds of bacon, sausage,
and pancakes to hungry spectators!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7Igpye3kt0
Black Gold Rush
After World War II, Alberta experienced its
own type of “gold rush.” On 13 Feb 1947, a
geyser of oil spewed up into the sky at Leduc,
south of Edmonton. Soon after, oil was
discovered in towns across the province. The
discovery of enormous oil reserves took
Albertans by surprise and began the
transformation of Alberta’s agriculturallybased economy into one focused on oil and
industry. Alberta’s “black gold” rush fueled the
growing transportation and construction
industries, providing oil for markets across the
nation and the United States as well.
Edmonton and Calgary quickly became
Alberta’s main commercial and industrial
cities. Because the Albertan economy was so
tied to the price of oil, it experienced many
booms and busts. In order to protect itself
from the instability of the world oil market,
Alberta expanded its industries into other
profitable areas including forestry and
tourism.
British Columbia
British Columbia is often referred to
as a paradise because of its
remarkable natural beauty. Located
between Alberta and the Pacific
Ocean, British Columbia is the
westernmost of Canada’s 10
provinces. Most of the province is
covered by the Canadian Cordillera
mountain range and by a portion of
the Rocky Mountains. Much of this
mountain area is covered by forests
as well, and British Columbia grows
the largest trees in Canada. The
northeastern corner of the province
is called the Peace River district and
is mostly made up of prairie land.
Gold Rush Days
In 1858, gold was found on the banks of
the Fraser River in Fraser Canyon, and the
first gold rush began. More than 30,000
people from America, Europe, and Asia
swarmed British Columbia, trying to strike
it rich. The second gold rush started three
years later in the Cariboo region of British
Columbia. The gold industry transformed
the region. Mining boomtowns (rapidly
growing towns) appeared, such as Yale
and Barkerville. As a result of all the
money and people pouring into the area,
the British created the new colony of
British Columbia. Roads were quickly built
and a local government set up. However,
the new colony was not managed well. By
1866, British Columbia was in so much
debt that the government chose to unite it
with the colony of Vancouver Island and
combine the two economies. The new
colony was called British Columbia, and
Victoria was its capital.
Asian Immigration
The gold rush years brought immigrants from China, Japan, and India to British Columbia. They
worked hard and were largely responsible for the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway,
which linked British Columbia with the eastern provinces. After the completion of the railway,
the government severely limited Asian immigration and made those who immigrated pay a
high tax just to enter the province. Asians were barred from getting better education and
better employment. During World War II, when Canada was at war with Japan, the Security
Commission Council ordered all Japanese living on the west coast to move to work camps
further inland where they were forced to work in road crews or on other people’s farms. The
government took over and sold Japanese-owned businesses, homes, and farms and then kept
the money. At the end of the war, these people were given the choice of going back to Japan
or staying in Canada. Most people decided to stay, though it took many more years for people
to accept them and for the government to give them the same rights as other Canadians.
Totem Poles
For thousands of years, First Nations
peoples all along the coast of North
America have developed the art of totem
pole carving. British Columbia is famous
for its many totem poles, including many
of the tallest and largest ones in the
world. The word “totem” comes from the
Ojibwa word odoodeman, meaning a
“family symbol.” Totem poles are usually
carved out of large cedar trees. The
designs centre around families or clans
and symbolize individual family members,
stories, or legends. The figures are
arranged one on top of the other all the
way up the pole and are often painted
bright colors. Native peoples gathered to
celebrate the raising of a new totem pole.
Together they helped raise the pole and
performed dances in honor of the event.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_-q_z0x9rI
Yukon
The territory is shaped like a triangle and
shares its western border with Alaska. The
landscape of the Yukon is made up of a
series of high plateaus (flat highlands),
surrounded by long mountain chains and
deep river valleys. Most of the Yukon has a
subarctic climate with long, cold winters
and short, mild summers. Yukoners joke
that there are only two seasons in the
territory: this winter and last winter!
Because the climate is also very dry,
snowfall is not usually heavy.
Temperatures are warmest in the south,
where the average winter temperature is 2°F and the average summer temperature
57°F. The northern portion of the
territory, along the Arctic Coast, has an
arctic climate and is much colder than the
south. This arctic land is called permafrost,
meaning the ground is permanently
frozen year-round, so very few plants can
survive there. In far northern Yukon, it is
dark for almost the entire winter.
However, during the short summer
months, the sun doesn’t set at all.
Wildlife
Unlike other areas in Canada,
the Yukon has remained home
to many of the animals who
lived there before Europeans
arrived. Herds of caribou,
grizzly and black bears,
wolves, and coyotes are all still
found across the territory.
Eagles, falcons, and hawks also
make their homes in the
Yukon. In the north, near
Herschel Island, polar bears
and walruses are common.
Yukon Quest
The Yukon Quest is a 1,000 mile dogsled race that is held every February.
The race route stretches through the Arctic wilderness, from Whitehorse,
Yukon, to Fairbanks, Alaska. The route follows the path the gold rush and
mail delivery took in the early 20th century. Each team has one person, a
musher (driver), and fourteen dogs pulling the sled. The race lasts for two
weeks and has one rest stop halfway along the course at Dawson City,
Yukon. The Quest crosses frozen rivers and four mountain ranges and tests
each musher and dog to the edge of their endurance. The winner takes
home a little over $47,000 CAD ($40,000 USD).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdPuzqzKf7I&feature=related
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories has eight official languages: Inuktitut, French, English, Gwich’in, Cree,
Chipewyan, Slavey, and Dogrib. During autumn and winter, the Aurora Borealis, or “northern lights,” are
visible in the Northwest Territories. These colorful, dancing lights are caused by solar wind interacting with
gases in the earth’s atmosphere. The Northwest Territories has two major climatic zones: the arctic and
the subarctic. These two zones are separated by the tree line (the farthest north trees can grow). The
arctic is north of the tree line, where most of the land is tundra and permafrost (permanently frozen
ground). The subarctic is below the tree line, where there are some forests. The arctic has cool, short
summers where the temperature stays around 50°F, and winter lasts at least nine months out of the year.
The subarctic area has a longer summer, but winter in both zones is long and icy. Temperatures of -60°F
are common throughout the territory in the winter months. During this time there are many blizzards and
whiteouts (blizzards which make it impossible to see the horizon). Overall, the territory receives very little
precipitation, and the arctic is so dry it is actually considered a desert. The Northwest Territories lies in the
middle of Canada’s two other territories: the Yukon and Nunavut.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z1-LLZmrsY
Bush Pilots
Many of the communities in the Northwest
Territories can only be reached by air because
no roads have been built. In the early 20th
century, bush pilots became quite popular.
Bush pilots transport people and goods in and
out of remote areas in the Northwest
Territories. Early flights were often dangerous
and risky because of the unpredictable
weather and rugged terrain. Many pilots were
forced to make emergency landings and use
their imaginations along with whatever
materials they had on hand to repair their
planes, get back in the air, and reach their
destinations. The first bush pilots to fly into
the territory flew into Fort Simpson in 1921.
They crash landed and had to fashion a new
propeller out of dogsled planks and boiled
moose-hide glue. Northern aviators (pilots)
quickly became well-known heroes as they
made travel in the Northwest Territories
easier, contributing to the growth of the
territory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxEspgz-b4c
Nahanni River Legends
The Nahanni River region of the
Northwest Territories is known for its
great whitewater rapids and
beautiful wilderness. But, during the
Klondike Gold Rush, the area was
said to be haunted by the ghosts of
gold prospectors who disappeared
trying to cut through the Nahanni on
their way to the Yukon. In 1908, the
headless bodies of two prospectors
were found and a series of
mysterious deaths fed the legends.
Today the unusual place names in
and around the Nahanni River area
are a reminder of its strange history:
Headless Valley, Broken Skull River,
Hell’s Gate, Crash Lake, Death
Canyon, and Funeral Range.
The Northwest Passage
For many years numerous European explorers came to
the Northwest Territories in search of what they called
the Northwest Passage. This passage was believed to
be a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans through the Arctic Ocean. These explorers,
many of them British, wanted to use the Northwest
Passage as a trade route to Asia, hoping it would be an
easier and faster way to transport goods to markets
there. Sir John Franklin was one well-known explorer
who made three different expeditions to the
Northwest Territories. In 1854, Franklin set off with
two ships to map the uncharted portions of the
Northwest Passage. His ships were well equipped with
heating devices and food storage for the long voyage.
But, Franklin’s ships were never heard from again.
Search parties combed the area for years but were
unable to find any trace of the ships. Then, searchers
stumbled across a written record of what happened to
them. Franklin’s ships had become stuck in frozen
water, and the crew had been unable to free the ship
from the ice. Franklin and all 128 men died from
starvation or disease. It wasn’t until 1906 that the
Northwest Passage was finally navigated successfully.
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen crossed it in a
voyage that took three years.
Nunavut
Nunavut is known as the Land of the
Midnight Sun because, close to the North
Pole, the sun does not set for six months
straight! During the winter, Nunavummiut
(residents of Nunavut) experience the
opposite effect, polar night, when it’s dark
for months at a time. The Inuit people have
more than 20 different words for caribou.
Nunavummiut say they live “north of 60”
because the entire territory lies in the Arctic
Circle, north of the 60th parallel of latitude.
The Inuit language, Inuktitut, is written in
syllabics, a writing system made up of 15
basic symbols. Nunavut is Canada’s largest
territory and it takes up almost 20 percent
of the country and covers 808,185 sq miles
That’s bigger than Alaska and California put
together!
First Nations, Métis, and Aboriginal Peoples
• Nunavut is the only area in Canada where aboriginal (native) peoples form the majority of the
population. The majority of the aboriginals are Inuit. The word Inuit is Inuktitut for “the people.”
There are also many people with part Inuit and part qallunaaq (European) heritage, but they are
not distinguished from other Inuit. There are about 350 First Nations peoples in the territory as well
as 70 Métis (people with both European and aboriginal heritage). Inuit form about 40 percent of
the government work force. Many Inuit do seasonal work as available throughout the year, such as
hunting, fishing, tourist outfitting, or construction work. Many also earn extra money by selling folk
art such as carvings, drawings, or traditional clothing.
• The territorial government is working to tailor the educational system to the ever-changing needs
of the children in the hopes that this generation will receive the education needed to attain better
paying, higher level jobs, as well as keep native culture alive. To help students become more
familiar with their native heritage, schools often invite Inuit elders into the classrooms to share
their knowledge and talk about their people’s past. Students also get breaks from school to go on
seasonal hunting or trapping trips with their families. Almost every community has a holiday to
celebrate the coming of spring. During this celebration, communities have feasts, parades, and
dancing.
• The Inuit also love games and sports. Many traditional Inuit sports can be played with just one or
two people and are often contests of physical strength. Inuit wrestling is different from the
wrestling you might be familiar with. The two wrestlers keep their feet flat on the ground and use
only their arms and upper bodies to lift the opponent off the ground. The game ajagak involves
holding a thin piece of seal bone tied by a strip of leather to a larger block of bone. The larger block
has holes drilled into it and the goal is to toss the block into the air and try to spear the thin piece
of bone through one of the holes. Ajagak is similar to playing ball in a cup, but takes more skill.
Sports such as volleyball, hockey and indoor soccer are very important to school kids. To attend
tournaments, Nunavut children usually have to fly by plane to another community, and good
athletes can become very well-travelled.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UIrgAFW3aQ
Inuit Artists
Inuit traditionally carved small dolls
and toys for their children. In the
1950s, people from southern Canada,
like James Houston, encouraged the
Inuit to make carvings for sale as
artwork and taught them new art
techniques such as printmaking. Inuit
art is now a very big business, with
older artwork selling for tens of
thousands of dollars in art galleries in
southern Canada. Some communities
have specialized in certain types of
art. Cape Dorset is famous for prints
and carvings made out of soapstone,
wood, and bone. Pangnirtung is
known for its prints and tapestries,
while Baker Lake is a center for
embroidered duffle cloth wall
hangings. In every community,
people make carvings, drawings, and
embroidered hangings and garments
to sell to visitors.
Arctic Whalers
The earliest known inhabitants of the Arctic
are called the Pre-Dorset people. They were
followed by the Dorset people. Both groups
were hunters and probably lived year-round
in tents made out of animal hides, doublelayered for winter. The Dorset seem to have
developed the iglu (snow house), which was
used in hunting and travelling as a kind of
winter tent. Around 1000, the Thule people
came to the Arctic Islands from what is now
Alaska. The Thule were the ancestors of the
Inuit. They were also whalers and used
harpoons to bring down their prey. The
Thule lived together in villages along the
coast and also hunted seal and walrus.
These early peoples used sleds to travel and
transport things from place to place. Many
Arctic peoples believed in a life after death.
They believed all living things had a spirit or
soul, so they treated even the animals they
killed for food with respect, in the hopes
that their spirits would be able to move on
in peace and perhaps come back to life in
another form one day.
I hope you enjoyed your visit to Canada, our neighbor to the
north! As you could see, Canada is a very large and diverse
country!
The Canada Investigation Menu
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Main Dish: You must complete all of these tasks.
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Location: Describe where your province/territory is in terms of absolute location (telling exact position of a
place using latitude and longitude) and relative location (approximate directions such as “My province is
twenty miles northwest of the Great Lakes”).
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Place: Describe what makes your province/territory different from any other place in the world; include
physical features (terrain, landforms, bodies of water, natural resources, and climate) as well as human
features (the type of work people do, population, cultural influences, man-made features such as buildings,
airports, roads, and unnatural borders).
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Region: Compare your province/territory to other countries in order to see what unifying characteristics
make them part of the same region. Explain what region your province/territory belongs to. A region is a
group of places that share one or more common features such as climate, physical features, population,
culture, history, political and governmental systems.
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Human Environment and Interaction: Demonstrate your knowledge of the relationship between people
and the environment. Describe how the physical characteristics of your province/territory’s environment
affect the people who live there and how people who live there affect their country’s environment.
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Movement: Demonstrate how the movement of people, goods, and ideas provide opportunities for the
exchange of values and customs among cultures, and create economic and political interdependence.
CONTINUED ON NEXT SLIDE
Project Ideas:
*** You may demonstrate your knowledge of the above five themes of geography through the creation of
ANY of the following choices:
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Write a diary or journal written from the perspective of either a native or visitor to your country, province
or territory.
Create a board-game
Create an informational picture book
Create a power-point presentation
Create a photo essay
Write a research report
Create a 5-box diorama
Create a collage
Create an informational/travel brochure
Create at least 5 post-cards about your country, province or territory. Each postcard should discuss and
represent each of the 5 themes of geography
Create a tri-fold poster board demonstrating others about the 5 themes of geography as they relate to
your province/territory.
•
***You may choose to represent all of the above five themes within the same choice, for example creating
a diorama which clearly demonstrates your knowledge of location, place, region, human environment and
interaction, and movement.
•
OR, you may choose to use different choices. For example, creating a diorama to show your country’s
place, but then a photo essay to explain your province/territory’s human environment and interaction.
Side Dishes:
Select at least 2 tasks from the following list.
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Describe how the citizens who live in your province/territory are people who respect the earth and its
inhabitants. Provide at least 3 examples.
•
Draft a typical conversation that may take place between two or more people which depicts daily life in
your province/territory.
•
Describe how your province/territory makes choices based on resources and interdependent
relationships. Explain how they meet their needs. Include how they distinguish between needs and wants
•
Describe three animals that are representative to your province/territory. Describe their place in the food
chain and how they adapt to survive.
•
Describe how the people in your province/territory adapt to their environment. Create a
visual/mathematical diagram depicting average temperatures and/or any changes in their country’s
climate for one year.
•
Write a persuasive letter to a government official from the perspective of a citizen that convinces your
nation’s leader to act on problems that face your province/territory. Use evidence to support your
thinking.
•
Write a newspaper article explaining how the people confront the problems facing their
province/territory. Suggest ways to solve the problem. Use empathy and take a look at it from another
perspective such as a land owner, financier, laborer etc.
Dessert:
Select at least 1 from the following list.
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Find a traditional song and sing from your world community
•
Build a tool that is important to your world community
•
Create a piece of clothing
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Write a paragraph about the problems your world community faces today
•
Build a model of a shelter
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Teach the class how to play a traditional game
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Create a poetry anthology that reflects your province/territory’s culture
•
Find a recipe from your province/territory and prepare the food for the class
Bibliography
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"Alberta." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010.
"British Columbia." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010.
"Manitoba." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010.
"New Brunswick." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010.
"Newfoundland and Labrador." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web.
29 Jul 2010.
"Northwest Territories." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul
2010.
"Nova Scotia." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010.
"Nunavut." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010.
"Ontario." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010.
"Prince Edward Island." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul
2010.
Québec." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010.
"Saskatchewan." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010.
"Yukon." CultureGrams Provinces Edition. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010.