Geography Links

Unit 11 - Urbanization in Canada
L. Porter and A. Hecht

Canada has a very large land area (9 976 140 square kilometers) and a very small population, which is not evenly distributed across the country. The main urban centres in Canada are Toronto , Montreal and Vancouver , each of which are continuing to grow. In 1800, only 5% of Canadians lived in urban areas; in 1920, the urban population began to surpass the rural population; today 78% of Canada's population is urbanized. Canadians were and still are drawn to urban areas for the following reasons: high tech specialization, service-based industries, creation of new resources such as knowledge, and an increased capacity for innovation, capital, universities and research facilities.

The most urbanized areas in the world are North America, northwestern Europe, Australia and New Zealand; the least urbanized areas are in eastern and southern Asia and Africa. Approximately 60% of Canada's population live in the 25 largest urban centres (Census Metropolitan Areas) in the country. A CMA in Canada is defined as having at least 100 000 people. The largest four CMAs in Canada are Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa-Hull, each having over 1 000 000 people. These four CMAs combined make up 1/3 of the Canadian population. Other major urban areas in the country include Edmonton , Calgary , Quebec , Hamilton and Winnipeg , each consisting of a population between 500 000 and 1 000 000 people. Of the top 25 metropolitan areas in Canada, nine are located in Ontario, six in Quebec, two in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan and one in New Brunswick, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. From 1992 to 1996, the population has been increasing in all CMAs except for St. John's, Newfoundland, Chicoutimi-Jonquiere, Quebec and Sudbury , Ontario. Vancouver (10.6%) has had the highest population increase over the four years, followed by Oshawa (8.6%) and Calgary (7.8%).

Of the top 25 urban areas in Canada, Toronto is the largest with over 4.3 million people and has the highest number of people employed in the secondary sector. By 2001, it is estimated that the population of Toronto will approach 5 million. Other CMA's also have high shares in this sector including Windsor (33,7 %), Kitchener (32,0 %), Oshawa (27,2 %), Hamilton (25,4 %) Trois Rivič (23,9 %) and Sherbrooke (23,0 %). As illustrated in Table 11.1, Calgary has the most people employed in the primary sector and Ottawa - Hull has the largest number of people employed in the tertiary sector. In all 25, the majority of the population is employed in the tertiary industry (7 126 285) followed by the secondary sector (1 777 385) and the primary sector (171 635). The highest rate of employment in the primary industry is in the prairies, secondary industries are in Ontario and Quebec, and tertiary is on the east and west coasts.

Table 11.1 Labour Force by Industry in Canadian CMAs

CMA	Industry
	Primary	Secondary	Tertiary	Total
St. John's	1,870 / 2.2%	9,070 / 10.9%	72,200 / 86.8%	83,145
Halifax	2,090 / 1.2%	19,580 / 11.2%	152,250 / 87.6%	173,740
Saint John	1,390 / 2.3%	11,315 / 19.2%	46,110 / 78.3%	58,820
Chicoutimi-J.	2,050 / 2.9%	14,430 / 20.6%	53,365 / 76.4%	69,835
Quebec	4,655 / 1.3%	45,175 / 13.3%	276,190 / 81.8%	337,425
Sherbrooke	1,345 / 1.8%	16,450 / 23.0%	53,650 / 75.1%	71,400
Trois-Rivieres	1,235 / 1.9%	15,200 / 23.9%	46,960 / 74.0%	63,395
Montreal	12,500 / 0.7%	350,445 / 21.7%	124,687 / 77.4%	1,609,820
Ottawa - Hull	6,185 / 1.1%	60,585 / 11.3%	464,720 / 87.4%	531,495
Oshawa	2,025 / 1.5%	36,640 / 27.2%	95,750 / 71.2%	134,410
Toronto	16,050 / 0.7%	473,800 / 21.6%	169,459 / 77.5%	2,184,260
Hamilton	5,690 / 1.8%	79,050 / 25.4%	225,340 / 72.6%	310,105
St. Catherines	6,420 / 3.6%	44,620 / 25.1%	126,365 / 71.2%	177,415
Kitchener	2,945 / 1.4%	65,000 / 32.0%	134,975 / 66.5%	202,935
London	5,005 / 2.4%	43,180 / 21.2%	155,105 / 76.4%	203,295
Windsor	2,075 / 1.4%	46,805 / 33.7%	89,680 / 64.7%	138,580
Sudbury	7,810 / 10.3%	9,675 / 12.6%	58,750 / 77.0%	76,230
Thunder Bay	2,205 / 3.5%	11,210 / 17.8%	49,400 / 78.6%	62,820
Winnipeg	4,635 / 1.3%	60,780 / 17.7%	277,915 / 80.9%	343,355
Regina	3,130 / 3.0%	11,935 / 11.7%	86,530 / 85.1%	101,605
Saskatoon	6,700 / 5.9%	16,930 / 14.9%	89,630 / 79.1%	113,280
Calgary	30,460 / 6.5%	75,005 / 16.1%	349,560 / 75.1%	465,040
Edmonton	19,485 / 4.2%	76,000 / 16.4%	366,985 / 79.3%	462,485
Vancouver	19,860 / 2.0%	166,625 / 17.2%	777,385 / 80.6%	963,900
Victoria	3,820 / 2.4%	17,880 / 11.3%	136,000 / 86.2%	157,705

Most urban areas have a distinct industry-residential layout pattern. One model that describes the layout of metropolitan areas is the Concentric Zone Model, proposed by Burgess. It assumes uniform land surface, universal accessibility and free competition for space throughout the metropolitan area. According to the Concentric Zone Model, the central business district (CBD) is located in the centre of the city - it is the focus of business, social activity, the downtown retail district. The CBD is surrounded by a zone of light manufacturing operations, followed by a transition zone - an area of residential deterioration or slums. After the transition zone, concentric rings of residential housing occurs. In order they include: low income/blue collar workers, newer single family homes and high rise apartments, and upper class residences. Some metropolitan areas in Canada are set up in this way.

Other models relevant to the Canadian city are the sector and the multiple nuclei models. Hoyt's Sector Model describes the city as growing outward from a central business district in wedges. The model takes into account accessibility and changing land values along the transport lines outward from the CBD. The different wedges contain different classes of society or industry sectors. The multiple nuclei model describes a city that has a downtown core with satellite centres on the periphery. This model consists of the CBD, a light manufacturing area near transport facilities, a heavy industrial district near the edge of the city, and residential districts and dormitory suburbs further out. The overall structure of the city will determine the number and location of the different districts. The pattern of the different land-use cells depends on requirements for certain activities, rent paying abilities and the tendency for certain activities to group together to increase profit. Cities will often take the form of one of theses three models, though not necessarily one more than the others.

With the populations of urban areas as well as the number of industries operating in these areas increasing, something had to be done to make urban and rural life workable, livable and prosperous. Professional planners provide research, analysis and recommendations on urban, regional, environmental and social issues. Planners combine design, analytical and communication skills to help communities manage change. This is necessary in Canada as communities change very frequently due to the large population concentrated in only a few metropolitan cities. Technological advances in computers and communications will play a part in how planning will take place in the future. Today, The Canadian Urban Institute, a nonprofit organization in Toronto, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in large urban areas. One of its goals is to encourage a better understanding of urban issues in business, government and other key institutions. The Canadian Urban Institute has international programs as well as programs in Canada.

You will notice that many of Canada's urban areas are capital cities. Eight of the capital cities fall within the top 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country and include St. John's, Halifax , Quebec, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina , Edmonton and Victoria . Toronto , also known as "the city that works", "urban miracle" and "hogtown", is the capital of Ontario and is also Canada's largest CMA. It has the largest concentration of economic activity in Canada and is the location of 40% of Canada's 1 000 largest companies. Toronto is the most diverse economic region in Canada and leads the nation in manufacturing, retail sales and other economic indicators. Each year it contributes 20 - 25% of Canada's GDP. The next largest CMA, Montreal , is not a capital city. Neither is Vancouver , the third largest CMA in the country. Vancouver is the largest city in British Columbia and was voted the second best city in the world in 1995. More recently, in December of 1997, Vancouver was voted the most livable major city in North America and the world. Auckland New Zealand was second, Toronto was third and Montreal was fifteenth. After Vancouver, Ottawa-Hull (often referred to as the National Capital Region) is the next largest CMA. Ottawa is the capital of Canada and is located in Ontario while Hull, located in Quebec, is a thriving business, civil service and residential community. Parliament Hill is located at the centre of the city in which the federal government provides 20% of the total employment.

The urbanization of these CMAs began in the 19th century. Economic, social and political changes occurred alongside this growth, which was closely associated with the processes of industrialization, modernization and development of the space economy. For growth to occur, a good agricultural system that could produce large quantities of food for the entire population was needed. Improvements in technology allowed people to leave agriculture and migrate to cities. Efficient transportation allowed for food and raw materials to be brought in to the city and to take finished products to far away markets. Each of these factors is necessary for urban areas to grow in size and further develop. Growth continues to occur in Canadian CMAs as a result of changing technology.