Culmiating Task-3.pdf

Canadian Geographyin the News – FinalCulminating ActivityRossany KesavanCourse Code: CGC 1D2 - 11 – Issues in Canadian GeographyDue Date: Wednesday August 12 th 2015

Topic 1- Article 1http://www.torontosun.com/2015/08/03/tornado-touches-down-in-southwestern-ontario-villageamid-severe-weekend-stormsTornado touches down in southwesternOntario village amid severe weekend stormsTHE CANADIAN PRESSFIRST POSTED: MONDAY, AUGUST 03, 2015 03:41 PM EDT | UPDATED: TUESDAY,AUGUST 04, 2015 06:07 AM EDTA major storm cloud moves over Etobicoke as it passes through southern Ontario on Sunday,August 2, 2015. Heavy winds and heavy rain were the subject of a severe thunderstorm watchfrom Environment Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Donna LypchukTHE CANADIAN PRESSRecommendTEVIOTDALE, Ont. -- Weather experts say a tornado ripped through a southwestern Ontariocommunity Sunday night, tearing the roof from a bungalow and damaging several police cars.Environment Canada issued a statement that said the violent winds of up to 220 kilometres perhour occurred in Teviotdale, northwest of Kitchener.It said the tornado left about nine kilometres ofdamage in its wake, including destroying theexteriors of two homes, ripping through barns,wrecking cars and downing both trees and powerlines.Video footage showed some police cruisers withwindshields caved in that were parked at the NorthWellington detachment of the Ontario ProvincialPolice.1

The tornado touched down at about 9 p.m. amid an extreme bout of rain, wind and hail insouthwest and southern Ontario that knocked out power to tens of thousands.Marina Koumarelas with the Teviotdale Truck Stop says she was at work when the tornadohappened.She said main roads were closed about half an hour after the winds touched down, and some hadstill not reopened by Monday afternoon."It was very scary," she said, adding that she did not see the actual funnel clouds, but did see thecollateral damage to trees and structures including a nearby chicken barn.Officials in Wellington County say the tornado caused damage in the town of Minto andWellington North Township, but they have received no reports of injuries.The mayor of North Wellington, Andy Lennox, met with some of the hardest hit residents andsaid the storm caused extensive damage."Damage is significant", said Lennox in a news release."It would be safe to say it will be in the millions of dollars."Video footage showed some police cruisers with windshields caved in. They were parked at thelocal Ontario Provincial Police detachment.About 900 hydro workers were still working on Monday trying to restore power to the last ofabout 50,000 Ontarians who were still in the dark after the previous day's storms.Fewer than five-thousand customers were still without power as of early Tuesday.Environment Canada said there may have been another brief tornado or two during theprovince's first bout of severe storms, but there was no serious damage or confirmed reports.Thunderstorms and strong winds also cut power Monday to thousands of Hydro Quebeccustomers, primarily in regions southwest, southeast and north of Montreal.More than 8,600 customers were without power on Monday evening, but that number haddwindled to fewer than 1,000 by early Tuesday.2

Topic 1- Article 2http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/08/06/more-whales-beached-in-nova-scotia.htmlMore whales beached in Nova ScotiaAnother group of beached whales in Nova Scotia has been helped back out to sea, marking thesecond time this week that concerned residents joined together to save a stranded pod.LINDEN MACINTYRE / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTOResidents of Judique, N.S., try to help 16 beached pilot whales that had become stuck on theshores of St. George's Bay in Cape Breton on Tuesday.By: Leah Collins Lipsett The Canadian Press, Published on Thu Aug 06 2015BAYFIELD, N.S.—Another group of beached whales in Nova Scotia has been helped back outto sea, marking the second time this week that concerned residents joined together to save astranded pod.“They’re still in shallow-ish water, but we’re hoping that they will eventually sort of continuetheir way out,” said Tonya Wimmer, president of the Marine Animal Response Society.The group joined Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the local fire department and residentsWednesday night after 14 pilot whales were beached off Bayfield, near the northern Nova Scotiacommunity of Antigonish.The rescuers pushed the whales back into the water, but the pod remained nearby and becamestuck again shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday, Wimmer said.“It was a bit of race against time, because the tide was actually just going out, and it’s anextremely shallow bay,” she said.3

“Once the tide was out, they were really going to be high and dry.”After about two hours of work the assembled crews were able to successfully refloat all 14whales, including at least three that were significantly smaller than the others — probably youngcalves.“The hard part . . . is that this whole area is very well known in the summertime to be filled withpilot whales,” Wimmer said, adding that their feeding habits make them one of the whale speciesthat get stranded with some regularity.“This is the normal area for them to be. It’s normal for them to even be coastal,” she said.“[But] it’s a little strange to have had two mass strandings in the past two days.”On Tuesday a group of 16 to 19 whales were stranded in a small cove near Judique in CapeBreton. Despite efforts by rescue crews, eight of those whales died.Wimmer said there’s a possibility some of the whales saved Thursday were the same as those inJudique, but it’s more likely this was a different group. She said there had already been sightingsof whales milling off Bayfield when the Judique stranding was underway.The cause of either stranding is unknown. Wimmer said one whale may have been sick and ledthe others astray, or the whales could have simply misjudged the tides.Wimmer credited the people on hand with Thursday’s successful rescue.“I think anyone is hard-pressed to just look at these animals lying on a beach helpless and notwant to do something,” she said, describing how the whales called to each other as they laystranded.“It’s a pretty emotional thing to be involved in.”Brief Description:Topic 1- Article 2 – More Whales Beached in Nova Scotiahttp://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/08/06/more-whales-beached-in-nova-scotia.htmlThe main issue in this article deals with the beached pilot whales that are stuck along the shorestranded while calling each other as they lay vulnerable. The exact cause of the stranding is stillunknown but it is usually normal for pilot whales to be costal in this area – shores of St.George’s Bay in Cape Brenton – during the summertime. One of the main reasons there aremore along the coastal area during the summertime is due to their feeding habits during thisseason. Some believe these whales could have misrouted the tides or because of an ill whaleleading the others off track. It is normal for these types of whales to be stranded along the shoreonce in a while, but the community is concerned due to two occurrences happening in the sameweek. Approximately 16-19 whales had been stranded and disregards rescue teams efforts, 8 ofthose pilot whales had died. Many rescue teams and people in the neighborhoods have beenmaking effort into helping push these whales back into the water. These whales still remainalong the shallow water area. Rescuers are hoping they will eventually somehow manage theirway out into the larger body of water. I think the required efforts are being taken by these rescueteams to help these whales return into the water before it’s too late. If there is anything more wecan do, I think we should raise this awareness more public, so we can have more people helpingor even having people take turns monitoring these area on a 24/7 basis to prevent further deathsof these pilot whales.4

Topic 2 – Article 1http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/drought-forces-alberta-to-cut-waterpumping-fees-for-farmers-1.3182096Drought forces Alberta to cut water pumping feesfor farmers. About 80 per cent of farmersaffected by drought this yearCBC News Posted: Aug 06, 2015 2:40 PM MT Last Updated: Aug 06, 2015 3:02 PM MTThe Alberta government estimates about 80 per cent of farmers have been affected by droughtthis year. (CBC )Related Stories• Alberta is in drought, at least partly, minister saysThe Alberta government is cutting rental fees in half for drought-affected producers who use theemergency water pumping program.The fee reduction will apply retroactively to April 1 and will be in effect for the entire 2015-16 fiscal yearThe province also wants to open up more public land for producers to graze their livestock."This will help producers who are struggling with inadequate pasture and high hay prices," saidAlberta Agriculture Minimster Oneil Carlier.• Drought pushes Parkland County to declare state of agricultural disaster• Alberta is in drought, at least partly, minister saysAbout 80 per cent of farmers have been impacted by the drought. The Agriculture FinancialServices Corporation anticipates paying out $700 million to $900 million in claims this year.About $70 million has been paid so far this year.The province is talking to the federal government about allowing producers to defer their taxes.Producers who need to sell their herd because of feed shortages can defer some sale proceeds tonext year. The deferral means they won't have to pay the applicable taxes this year.A lack of rain has prompted a number of Alberta counties to declare states of agricultural disasterdue to drought.The government estimates crop yields will be 25 to 30 per cent below the five year average.5

Topic 2 – Article 2http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/craig-and-marc-kielburger/respect-water_b_7857674.htmlCanadians Need More Love and Respect ForWaterPosted: 07/23/2015 12:23 pm EDT Updated: 07/23/2015 12:59 pm EDTBernard Weil via Getty ImagesBy Craig and Marc KielburgerLeaping from a dock under a brilliant July sun into theicy water of a Canadian lake brought a tide of memories.A few weeks ago, Craig was visiting friends at theircottage on Lake of the Woods, in northwestern Ontario.The experience harkened back to years of childhoodsummer vacations and Boy Scout excursions.Home to 60 per cent of the world's lakes, we are a nation with water at its heart. But somethought leaders say Canadians are losing an awareness of, and passion for, our water resources.It's a connection we need to rekindle for our country to successfully tackle some serious threatsto the treasure that is our water supply.The headlines this summer are troubling. E. Coli contamination has closed beachesacrossCanada--an all-too-common occurrence that can be caused by a wide range of problems fromsewage leaks, to waste from water birds like geese. And that impacts not only local recreation,but the tourism that supports local economies.Drought looms in British Columbia and the prairies again, and experts worry that this time it'shere to stay, like California's four-year drought. Numerous First Nations communities continueto grapple with access to clean water.But Canadians seem to be indifferent. In Victoria, B.C., for example, city officials saywaterconsumption continues to rise despite shortages. What lies behind this apparent apathy? Expertssay we lack a crucial connection to water."So many Canadians don't know where their drinking water comes from. They can't name thewater ways in their area, or the fish or birds that live there," laments Mark Mattson, who foundedthe Great Lakes advocacy organization, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, in 2001. "Most Canadians Ispeak with can name three rules in hockey, but can't name three laws that protect our water,"Mattson adds.In Canada, too few of us realize how precious and limited our fresh water resources really are."There is a myth of abundance," says Alex Mifflin. Alex and his brother Tyler produce aprogram for TV Ontario, The Water Brothers, exploring issues like renewable energy and howthey connect to water.6

Canadians believe, we're rich in water. While we possess 20 per cent of the world's freshwatersources, the Mifflins say most of us aren't aware that over half of this water is in northernCanada, inaccessible to 85 per cent of our population. And only seven per cent of our water isrenewable. The rest comes from non-renewable sources, like underground aquifers that aredraining rapidly.We were taken aback to learn that, every year, the water supply in southern Canada decreases byenough to fill 1.5 million Olympic swimming pools, according to Statistics Canada.We know people are more passionate about an issue when they have a personal connection.You're more likely to do something about E. coli, for instance, when it's closing the beach yourkids swim at, or contaminating your tap water.There are simple things we can all do to reconnectwith water. This summer make a canoe trip part of your family vacation, or simply take picnicsby a river or lake.Share a story of a happy memory you have that involves a Canadian waterway.The Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's Watermark Project is collecting these memories for anupcoming film celebrating our national connection to water.Take a selfie posing by a Canadian freshwater lake or river and post it to Instagram with thetag #myhomewaters. Mountain Equipment Coop will donate $5 to the Canadian FreshwaterAlliance for every photo. And check out RBC's Blue Water Project for tips on living a morewater-friendly life.If you want to take your efforts a step further, learn more about the waterresources in your area. Find out where your drinking water comes from, how local waste water istreated--and if it can be reused.Restoring Canadians' connection with water won't solve all our water problems. But it will kickstarta conversation, and hopefully a search for solutions. Brothers Craig and Marc Kielburgerfounded a platform for social change that includes the international charity, Free the Children,the social enterprise, Me to We, and the youth empowerment movement, We Day.Brief Description:Topic 2- Article 2 – Canadian Need More Love & Respect For Waterhttp://www.huffingtonpost.ca/craig-and-marc-kielburger/respect-water_b_7857674.htmlThe main issue of this article has to deal with Canadian’s awareness for our water resources.Many Canadians feel that the world is composed with so much water, that they are taking it foradvantage and not realizing that from this large quantity of water, we possess only 20% of theEarth’s freshwater sources. On top, from this 20%, most of it is located in Northern Canadamaking it inaccessible to approximately 85% of Canada’s population. Canadians need to takethis issue serious and realize how limited we are to fresh water resources. More and more newsand headlines are arising dealing with contaminations of water and closing of bodies of waterdue to sewage leaks, waste and other causes that could be prevented. In addition, to the issue offresh water accessibility, other water-related issues such as droughts in British Columbia and theprairies loom and First Nations grapple to gain access to clean water. Not only are us Canadians7

eing affected but also tourists and others who travel to Canada. Water project groups have beenformed to help spread this issue and educate more Canadian’s about the seriousness of this issue– especially long term. We are well aware that by educating and re-connecting Canadians withthe importance of water sources and usage won’t solve our water problem, but it will lead topossible solutions in the long-term or at least start discussions in ways to resolve this matter tothe best of our ability. I think as Canadian what we can do to help resolve this issue is to takethis issue into consideration by limiting water usage and by not polluting water resources andbeing mindful that these resources are mandatory for survival for not only ourselves, but forplants and animals as well. We need to be mindful when using these sources so we don’t affectothers. By doing so, we can prevent this problem and be able to have more water resourcesavailable in the long term.8

Topic 3 – Article 1http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/why-canada-has-fallen-so-far-behind-on-public-transit-1.3137415Why Canada has fallen so far behind on publictransit. 'Electoral alliances and political gains,'are driving new transit, not smart decisionmaking.By Lucas Powers, CBC News Posted: Jul 06, 2015 5:00 AM ETInadequate public transit hasbecome as Canadian asmaple syrup, and cities arestruggling to find affordablesolutions.Metro Vancouver took anovel crack at the problemlast week with a plebisciteon a 0.5 per cent sale taxhike that would havecovered the region's $7.5-billion share in a massive10-year transit strategy.Voters resoundingly rejected the plan, with nearly 62 per cent of the 759,696 ballots cast for theNo side. It was a stunning defeat for the proposal's backers in an area in need of new transitinfrastructure to serve a growing population but without any way of paying for it in theforeseeable future.Unfortunately, similar scenarios are playing out in cities across the country.For critics, Canada'stransit woes have been exacerbated by the politicization of infrastructure projects and apervasive car-centric mentality engrained in our institutions.Federal and provincial funding for new public transit projects has long been sporadic and withoutany clear direction, leaving municipalities to shoulder most of the burden, says Todd Litman,director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute.As well, he says, much of the funding that has been made available supported infrastructure fordrivers, a vestige of 20th century approaches to urban planning.9

"There was this consensus that the majority of transportation planning and funding should beoriented toward accommodating more cars," Litman says, adding that there is clearly growingdemand for alternatives, particularly public transit, and policy has largely failed to reflect that."What it boils down to is that it's much easier for local governments to get funding for a highwayimprovement or new bridge than it is for a public transit project, even if public transit is the morerational investment."Transit for political gainThere are some signs of hope on the horizon for cities, however. Beginning in 2017, there willbe $1B annually earmarked in the federal budget for regional transit projects.And it being anelection year in Canada, the Conservatives have obliged some of the demands of big city mayorsseeking support for transit initiatives.For example, in June it was announced that Ottawa will contribute $2.6B, about one third of thetotal cost, to Toronto Mayor John Tory's SmartTrack plan — welcome news in a city that is saidto lose an estimated $11 billion in economic activity each year due to crippling congestion.Amid growing pressure from big city leaders for new infrastructure cash, Stephen Harper'sgovernment has earmarked $1B annually for public transit projects starting in 2017. The NDPand Liberals are also promising new funding as well. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)But politicalwrangling has stifled smart transit planning in Canadian cities says Murtaza Haider, an associateprofessor at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University."Just look at the Conservatives right now. There's an election on the horizon and if somebodyproposed a transit system based on flying monkeys and it happened to serve a contested area,they'd help fund it," he says, only half-jokingly."The result is that often we are not supporting the transit we need, but projects thatadvance electoral alliances and political gains."Haider argues that Toronto's Sheppard subway line is an example of how politics can play toolarge a role in how we design and ultimately build transit projects. Completed in 2002 after yearsof delays and cost overruns, the 5.5 km stretch of track was largely championed by a smallcoalition of politicians hoping to curry favour from voters in an area that was, at the time, arelatively sparsely populated patch of suburbia.Density has increased around the line since its unveiling, but ridership has not lived up toprojections. Two of the city's major streetcar routes — the King and Spadina — have higherdaily ridership but cost far less to operate.It's a cautionary tale of what happens when politics trumps effective planning, Haider says,adding that "there are examples of these kinds of mistakes all across the country."10

'The future is abstract'Like most infrastructure, constructing new public transit comes with a hefty price tag and thebenefits can take years to materialize. Consequently, even the best projects can be a tough sell tothe public. "The future is abstract, it's way down the road. We have no idea what thirty yearsfrom now, for example, is going to look like," says David Moscrop, a lecturer in the departmentof political. "It just seems too far removed from our daily experience."Moscrop argues that our inability to think on long time scales hampers decisions around publictransit. These effects were likely on display during Metro Vancouver's transit plebiscite. Theplan included a laundry list of projects, like a new east-west subway line, new light rail, a newferry and a replacement bridge across the Fraser River, among others things, aimed at connectingpeople to job centres and reducing the area's infamous traffic congestion over at least ten years.The Yes side was endorsed by most of the local mayors involved and student, labour andenvironmental organizations. But the No camp, headed by the B.C. branch of the CanadianTaxpayer's Federation, mounted a fierce campaign that shifted the focus toward the region'smuch maligned transit authority, TransLink, and its alleged mishandling of taxpayer dollars."Cognitively speaking, it's easier for people to focus on one smaller issue like TransLink thanconsider a huge question with far reaching, long-term consequences," Moscrop says."Unfortunately it's kind of a disaster for policy making."11

Topic 3 – Article 2http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/smoke-from-prairies-forest-fires-prompts-health-warning-1.2445406Smoke from Prairies forest fires promptshealth warningCTVNews.ca StaffPublished Monday, June 29, 2015 10:48AM EDTLast Updated Monday, June 29, 2015 8:45PM EDTSmoke from wildfires in northern Saskatchewan has left a thick haze in the air across much ofthe Prairies, prompting Environment Canada to warn that the poor air quality could be dangerousto some."A large area of smoke from forest fires isblanketing much of Saskatchewan," saidan air quality statement fromEnvironment Canada's Weather Office."Smoke near the ground may causepotentially high health risk conditions.The smoke is expected to persist over thenext couple of days."Seniors, children and those with breathingconditions such as asthma are considered at highest risk. The smoke in Saskatchewan is comingfrom forest fires raging in the north of the province and the Northwest Territories.There are now 116 firesburning in Saskatchewan,fuelled by high heat and littlehumidity. There is little relieffrom the heat at night,allowing many of the fires tocontinue to spread.Toddi Steelman, executivedirector of the University ofSaskatchewan's school ofenvironment andsustainability, says the heatand drought are primeconditions for wildfires.12

"The current trends with wildfire activitywill be contingent on the continued droughtthat we're experiencing, the dry lightning,the low humidities and the dry vegetationthat we've got out there," Steelman toldCTV Saskatoon."So, unless we get a lot ofrain, it's probably unlikely things are goingto change in the near future."The largest of the fires is burning in centralSaskatchewan, close to Prince AlbertNational Park. The blaze has already burned the equivalent of 9,000 football fields. Crews fromacross the country have been summoned to help."We have a group of amphibious tankers from Quebec here now, another will be arriving fromNewfoundland that has been ordered, and we just briefed and started to deploy personnel thathave arrived from Ontario to back up our ground crews," said Steve Roberts, executive directorof the province's wildfire management branch.Another 55 air tankers and helicopters are already fighting the blaze from above.Fires ragingnear La Ronge and La Loche, Sask. have also forced many people to leave their homes. Andhundreds more have been evacuated from the Montreal Lake area, about 100 kilometres north ofPrince Albert. Many were taken on buses to Saskatoon, North Battleford, Regina and PrinceAlbert.In some places, the wildfires are burning so fiercely, they've jumped highways, forcing crews toclose some roads."We're looking at convoy-style pilot of vehicles through there to ensure that people aren'tunnecessarily put at risk … so, we are controlling some of the access," said provincial firecommissioner Duane McKay.In Manitoba, more than 200 people were evacuated from Red Sucker Lake First Nation Saturdaywhen a fire spread too close to the community. The residents are now staying at a hotel inWinnipeg and it's not clear when they'll be able to return to their homes.The forest fire situation is no better in northwestern Alberta, where almost two dozen newwildfires were reported over the weekend.Meanwhile in British Columbia, the province has already burned through nearly all its wildfirefightingbudget, with 43 wildfires currently active across the province, most in the northeast.Environment Canada says much of Western Canada can expect another warm week, with dailyhighs reaching into the high-20s Celsius and into the mid-30s in some areas.13

Brief Description:Topic 3- Article 2 – Smoke from Prairies Forest Fires Prompt HealthWarninghttp://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/smoke-from-prairies-forest-fires-prompts-health-warning-1.2445406The main point of the article is that many wildfires are occurring in the Northern Regions ofSaskatchewan. This is resulting in the air to be thicker and creating dangers conditions for manyliving in the Prairies and along the area. Many children and seniors that have asthma and otherbreathing conditions suffer mainly due to wildfires as it complicates their conditions making itharder for them to breathe. These fires are caused due to high heat, humidity and drought whichwill not change unless the Northern Regions of Saskatchewan precipitates large quantities ofrainfall. The actions that are being taken is that provinces such as Quebec, Ontario,Newfoundland and Montreal are sending over amphibious tankers and personals deployed toback up ground crews. Currently there are 55 air tankers and helicopters that are attempting totame the fire from above many are also vacating their homes to prevent any harm to themselves.Droughts which are caused by global warming and personalization of water sources is one of themain sources for wild fires. Canadian can address this issue by stopping the personalization ofwater sources and also taking action towards stopping global warming by being more efficientutilizing oil and coal. We can do this by taking public transits and/or carpooling to be efficientand save both money and our forests. If Canada continues to have as many wild fires as we donow provinces will burn right to the ground.14

Topic 4 – Article 1http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/why-newcomers-are-beginning-to-bypasscanadas-big-cities/article25143840/Why newcomers are beginning to bypass Canada’s big citiesDOUG SAUNDERSThe Globe and MailPublished Friday, Jun. 26, 2015 1:35PM EDTLast updated Saturday, Jun. 27, 2015 2:12PM EDTWhen Zernab Yazdani, an easygoing college graduate, talks about his childhood years inRiverdale – a cluster of aging apartment towers and townhouse complexes encircled by singlestoreymini-malls – what tweaks his memories is not the ever-shifting mix of languages andcultures. Riverdale’s 7,500 residents were mostly born in other countries, as his parents were;only one in five speaks English as a first language.Rather, it is the unspoiled nature just beyond the concrete. “It was a great place to grow up – wehad tobogganing in the winter and trails in the forests, the lake right nearby and a lot of space toplay.” The hiking trails, along with the air of mutual co-operation among the newcomers here,have drawn him back as an adult.This could be one of the well-known high-rise immigrant districts on the outskirts of Toronto,Montreal or Vancouver: Shop signs are in Russian, Spanish, Hindi and Urdu; windows abovestores advertise Sikh and Hindu temples, Russian Orthodox churches and mosques; the publicprimary school, with so many kids from the Indian subcontinent, recently built a cricket pitchwhere a baseball diamond would usually go.But it isn’t. The apartment Mr. Yazdani shares with his wife looks across a leafy ravine toStoney Creek, a largely agricultural community. Riverdale, a fast-expanding enclave that is, byone measure, Canada’s third most immigrant-heavy settlement, is in the eastern end of Hamilton,far from the city’s old steel mills and a stone’s throw from the vineyards of Niagara Region.Hamilton is doing everything it can to attract people like the Yazdanis. In fact, there is a growingeffort by many mid-sized, post-industrial cities to spark a new wave of immigration. Alsostruggling, places such as Moncton, Trois-Rivières and Kitchener are doing everything they canto open their doors, from adopting their own de facto immigration policies to, in some cases,even going abroad to recruit new residents.While the great majority of Canada’s immigrants still settle in greater Toronto and Vancouver,secondary cities have begun to grab an increasingly larger share.In Canada’s rust belt, mass immigration is increasingly seen as the hope for recovery.A thriving destination for newcomers in the twentieth century, Hamilton has been in a longperiod of decline since its heavy industry dried up. To city manager Chris Murray, a revivedimmigration program was the only way out.15

“We kept keep running into the problems of an aging population and a shrinking workforce andthe question of how we’re going to pay for things in the coming years with fewer taxpayers …,”he says. “So you’d better hope we’re going to have a growing economy. And how that can bepossible without immigration is hard to imagine.”So, in 2012, Global Hamilton was created – a new department dedicated to making Steel City animmigrant city once again. The following year, the department’s head, Sarah Wayland, publisheda two-volume Immigrant Attraction Action Plan that was enthusiastically adopted by a majorityon city council.The city then went to work, printing a newcomer’s guide to finding housing in 14 languages aswell as launching a simultaneous-translation service so city resources could be obtained indozens of languages. It also created an online “immigration portal” to hook immigrants up withopportunities and a “soft landing program” to hook foreign high-tech businesses up withMcMaster University and area community colleges.Reaching out, the city also advertised itself abroad and set up a program that draws on localimmigrant networks to get the word out overseas about housing and small-businessopportunities. And these plans are having some success. Newcomers are discovering not onlyhousing bargains but often better opportunities.Mr. Yazdani’s family is typical of this new pattern. His father moved here in the 1990s, afterhaving immigrated from Lahore, Pakistan, because the rent was half as much as Toronto’s andbecause he wanted to upgrade his educational qualifications at Mohawk College.Now 23, Zernab followed his father’s path: After high school, he moved to Toronto for collegeand got married, but then grew frustrated with the rent and isolation of the big city. So he movedback to Riverdale, found an apartment in one of its low-rent, somewhat run-down buildings andgot a job with an online customer-assistance company.Things aren’t perfect – most of the accommodation is rental and many tenants wish there werecondos and houses to buy, and it’s a long walk to the bus station – but Riverdale “a really greatplace to live,” he says. “Everything is within a 30-minute bus ride, and you have great forestsand ravines and trails and the rent is affordable.”Other communities look districts like Riverdale with envy: Not all post-industrial cities arehaving an easy time attracting newcomers. It turns out that pleasant neighbourhoods and smallbusinessadvice, while helpful, may not be the big draw.Margaret Walton-Roberts, a geographer with the Balsillie School of International Affairs atWilfrid Laurier University, has analyzed the success and failure of local immigration policies in“second-tier cities.” Her focus is Kitchener-Waterloo, a former manufacturing hub that nowfaces challenges a lot like Hamilton’s – a smaller, older population that is straining the city’sfiscal resources.16

She and other scholars have found that those with a decent chance of attracting and keepingimmigrants are the ones with universities, colleges or teaching hospitals. There’s very littleinflux to cities without post-secondary education. So Hamilton (home to a university, a teachinghospital and two colleges) and Kitchener-Waterloo (two universities and a college) have donewell – especially because immigrants tend to seek home ownership at high rates and find housesincreasingly less affordable in big cities. A smaller place with a campus hits the sweet spot.“The role of the university is a really interesting one,” Dr. Walton-Roberts says. “As we weredoing the research into second-tier cities and interviewing new immigrants, what came out wasthis interesting intersection between new immigrants who were also students.”A similar phenomenon is taking place south of the border. Neil Ruiz, a scholar with theWashington-based Brookings Institution, has found that the rust-belt cities of the northern U.S.that have avoided disaster since the factories shut down also are the ones with universities,because foreign students are the only group interested in settling. Some, such as Cleveland, havecast a wide net, setting up active immigration policies, including offices in foreign capitals, butonly the students come.The phenomenon is much larger in Canada, in part because Canadian policy allows student-visaimmigrants to stick around after graduation, usually for as long as they’ve spent studying, andseek employment or start a business.There’s a largely unnoticed trend behind this: Increasingly, immigrants to Canada are trying touse student visas as their way in. Because Ottawa is giving priority to post-secondary studentvisas as its favoured immigrant class, and because universities are bulking up abroad tocompensate for a domestic enrolment slump, and because university towns such as Waterloo andHamilton are pushing to attract immigrants, the student visa is seen as a golden ticket.“We’ve identified this parallel process,” Dr. Walton-Roberts says, “of people applying to cometo Canada to study at the same time as they were applying for immigrant status, and they wereaware of the fact that finding a job and having your credentials recognized was somewhatdifficult for immigrants to Canada.“So they thought, ‘Okay, we’re going to come, we’re going to study, we’ll have a Canadiancredential and then, if we get status, we can be ready to get into the labour market with aCanadian credential.”And immigrant-heavy districts like Riverdale have become central to this phenomenon. As in bigcities, smaller places find that formerly working-class neighbourhoods outside their core areashave become focal points for new Canadians.McMaster geographer Richard Harris and his team recently published a report, NeighbourhodChange in Hamilton since 1970, which shows that the landing pads for immigration have shifteddramatically from the downtown districts around the steel mills to the low-cost housingneighbourhoods on the edge of town – taking with them the focus of poverty (for newimmigrants, even with university credentials, start out quite poor).17

This shows the new reality of immigrants: They aren’t industrial workers (although many stillwind up in blue-collar work) but students, service workers, entrepreneurs and smallbusinesspeople. They settle in places like Riverdale to have fellow immigrants around them formutual support. But their dependence on more precarious forms of employment and risky smallbusinessventures means they also need help with education and social services to make theirstart.The heartbreaking experience of seeing families lose their life savings in marginal businessgambles, says Hamilton’s Mr. Murray, was one reason the city published new-business advicebooklets in several languages and created a network to help immigrants with startups.The smaller cities don’t offer the huge clusters of fellow expats who can help in the larger cities.But they are more stable and affordable.“What’s different here is that most people want to stay,” says Mr.Yazdani, as he walks brisklyhome from the bus after a day of work.“It’s not perfect, but it’s more of a tight-knit community than I had in Toronto. It’s a smallerplace, but it feels like home.”18

Topic 4 – Article 2http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canadian-first-nations-becoming-lessprosperous-report-says/article24990367/Canadian First Nations becoming less prosperous,report saysGLORIA GALLOWAYOTTAWA — The Globe and MailPublished Tuesday, Jun. 16, 2015 7:36PM EDTLast updated Wednesday, Jun. 17, 2015 12:52AM EDTThree years after an economic development board set a decade-long goal of closing theprosperity gap between aboriginal people and the rest of Canada, its new report says keyindicators are moving in the wrong direction.The Aboriginal Progress Report, a sequel to a benchmark study completed in 2012 by theNational Aboriginal Economic Development Board, finds First Nations people on reservesdrifting further behind non-aboriginal Canadians.The new report, which will be released Wednesday, uses Statistics Canada census data tocompare the progress of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people between 2006 and 2011 – the latestcensus – on core economic issues such as employment and income and underlying issues such aseducation and living conditions.Inuit and Métis people showed some improvements in employment rates, though the Inuit lostground to other Canadians when it came to postsecondary completion rates and the proportion oftheir homes in need of major repair.But for First Nations people living on reserves, the gap widened with the rest of Canada in termsof employment, reliance on government transfers, college and university completion rates andhousing.Clarence Louie, the Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valleyand the chair of the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board, says the ability ofCanada’s aboriginal people to support themselves has been severely reduced over the centuriesby government land grabs and experiences such as the residential schools.But “I am telling First Nations we have to make the economy the No. 1 issue, just like non-nativepeople do. Non-native people don’t stand for double-digit unemployment. Neither should we,”Mr. Louie said in a telephone interview. “The original treaty relationship in this country was abusiness relationship. That’s what I want to get back to.”19

One of the largest barriers to aboriginal economic development is the “outdated spendingformula” used by the federal government to pay for aboriginal programming, he said, with 96 to98 per cent of that money going to social spending and only a small fraction available foreconomic development.“The government will fund every First Nation for a full-time welfare worker. They will fundevery First Nation for a full-time drug and alcohol counsellor. But they won’t fund First Nationsfor a full-time economic development officer,” Mr. Louie said.The federal government, he said, considers economic development for aboriginal communities tobe discretionary. “But I don’t know which town, city or province would call their economydiscretionary. White people don’t call their economy discretionary.… We want economicdevelopment funding to be non-discretionary. That means it’s a focus, it’s a priority.”During the years covered by the report, which included a major recession, the nationalemployment rate fell from 62.7 per cent to 61.2 per cent, but for First Nations on reserve it fellfrom 39 per cent to 35.4 per cent.The gap in income levels between residents of reserves and the rest of Canada actually narrowedslightly between 2006 and 2011 – but remains wider than it was in 2000. A higher percentage ofboth groups completed high school, but the gap remained about the same, with only 44.1 per centof on-reserve students graduating. And the gap in dwellings needing major repairs actuallynarrowed slightly but remained six times higher for First Nations on reserves.The board makes a number of broad recommendations for improvement, calling for a strongereffort to improve educational outcomes and for the creation of a federal agenda that sets closingthe gaps as a priority. It says the government should support aboriginal businesses with capitaland expertise and provide seed money for investment in economic opportunities in aboriginalcommunities.“Are there going to be some communities where economic development is tough or reallychallenging?” Mr. Louie asked. “Well of course there will be. But then why can’t we focus ongetting 50 per cent of First Nations people on that economic horse? That will go a long way andthe First Nations stats will get marginally better in a decade.”Brief Description:Topic 4- Article 2 – Canadian First Nations becoming less prosperous, reportssay.The main issue of this article deals with the increasing economic gap between aboriginal peopleand the remainder of Canada. The initial goal was to bridge and close the gap between these twogroups, however studies have shown that this gap is increasing making these First Nations morevulnerable and economically deprived compared to the rest of Canada. From all aboriginals, the20

ones on reserves are more affected drifting further behind than the rest. The key players in thisdilemma are the aboriginals who are being affected and the Canadian government who arelacking the support and financial funding required helping these individuals. Chief ClarenceLouie argued that the government is willing to fund for `Full time welfare workers and full timedrug and alcohol counsellors` but are unwilling to fund for economic development officers tohelp these aboriginals and provide them with economic development assistance. One of themain issues is that many of these aboriginals, especially the ones on reserve, complete school.Thus, lacking the knowledge required. Many recommendations have been made to help improvethese situations and circumstance, but not necessarily the required action has been taken to see apositive result. I think as Canadians, it is important to see these First Nations as a part of ourcountry and show them and help them with the right tools they need. These include, havingmore effort in improving educational outcomes and by providing more educational help for theseindividuals. I think Chief Louie`s idea is very good. The government should help fund for fulltime economic development officers to explain and discuss the importance of completing schooland the importance of economic development so we can bridge this economic gap betweenaboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians.21

Topic 5 – Article 1http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/05/13/as-us-warms-to-russia-canada-stays-chillywalkom.htmlAs U.S. warms to Russia, Canada stays chilly: WalkomBy: Thomas Walkom National Affairs, Published on Wed May 13 2015Washington is signalling it wants tomend fences with Russia. With anelection looming, Canada’s governmentremains obdurate.Canada's Foreign Minister RobNicholson, left, and Ukrainian ForeignMinister Pavlo Klimkin lay flowers at amonument to honour victims of theGreat Famine in Kiev, Ukraine, on May11. Nicholson has reiterated Canada’shard line against Moscow, noting,“Russia has shown it simply cannot betrusted."The cold war between Russia and the U.S. is easing. The cold war between Canada and Russia isnot.On Tuesday, American Secretary of State John Kerry spent four hours with Russian PresidentVladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Kerry told reporters later that it was thebeginning of new dialogue. He thanked Putin for giving him so much time.The Russians too said the talks were “useful and positive.” They presented Kerry with a giftbasket of potatoes.Publicly neither side spoke about Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian Crimea. Kerry did, however,took the unusual step of chiding the Ukrainian government — for suggesting it might try toretake a rebel-occupied airport.Meanwhile in Kyiv, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson stuck to the old script. Hemet Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. He visited a military hospital. He reiterated Canada’shard line against Moscow.“Russia has shown it simply cannot be trusted,” he said.Theoretically, the West presents a united front against Russia. Theoretically, it decries Russiaannexation of Crimea as well as Moscow’s support for separatist rebels in Eastern Ukraine.Theoretically, the West is unified in its decision to apply economic sanctions against Russia untilPutin ends any interference in Ukraine.22

But there have always been divisions in the anti-Moscow alliance. European countries such asGermany have always been more hesitant. And now Washington is signalling that it too isinterested in rapprochement.The reasons are easy to understand.First, the U.S. needs Russia’s good offices if it to succeed in its war against the Islamic State.The key to that war is Syria and the key to Syria is its embattled president, Bashar Assad.The U.S. has no influence with Assad. Russia does. If Assad cannot be persuaded tocompromise, then the Syrian civil war is doomed to continue. If the civil war continues, IslamicState militants based in Syria will continue to thrive.If the Islamic State continues to thrive, the U.S. will defeat it only by sending in ground troops— something President Barack Obama does not want to do.Second, economic sanctions against Russia aren’t working. True, they are causing hardship.Sanctions coupled with collapsing oil prices caused Russia’s economy to shrink by 2 per cent inthe first three months of this year.But oil prices are stabilizing and Russia, a major petroleum exporter, is likely to rebound.More to the point, sanctions haven’t worked politically. If anything, they have served tostrengthen Putin’s popularity at home.Third, China. Putin has responded to the West’s rebuff by embracing Beijing. China hasreciprocated.Since annexing Crimea, Russia has signed two big natural gas deals with China.Most Western leaders, including Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, boycottedRussia’scelebration marking the 70th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany.Chinese President Xi Jinping did not.He and Putin stood shoulder to shoulder Saturday as Russian troops paraded through Moscow’sRed Square.Chinese and Russian naval forces are conducting joint naval exercise in the Black Sea.The U.S. finds all of this alarming. It sees China, not Russia, as America’s chief geopoliticaladversary.Already, China is flexing its muscles against U.S. allies like Japan and the Philippines.23

Beijing is also challenging America’s pre-eminence in the world economy. Much toWashington’s chagrin, even Britain, France and Germany have opted to join the new ChinesedominatedAsian Infrastructure Investment Bank.All of this helps to explain why the U.S. wants warmer relations with Russia. But it is a desirenot shared by Ottawa.Five months before an election, and with the votes of Ukrainian-Canadians firmly inmind, Harper’s government is happy to maintain its quasi-principled opposition to Russianaggression.I say quasi because in some matters Ottawa has quietly bent those principles. Thus thegovernment has imposed only partial sanctions against Russia energy giant Rosneft, whichhappens to own 30 per cent of an Exxon oil project in southern Alberta.Otherwise, Canada’s leaders are cold warriors to the hilt. The Americans may choose to take amore measured approach to Russia. You won’t catch Canada’s government doing that.24

Topic 5 – Article 2http://www.torontosun.com/2015/06/23/trudeau-says-hed-soften-how-canada-deals-with-isisTrudeau NETWORK says he'd soften how Canada deals with ISIS BY ANTHONY FUREY, POSTMEDIAFIRST POSTED: TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2015 09:41 PM EDT | UPDATED: TUESDAY, JUNE23, 2015 09:52 PM EDTThe sickness and depravity ofthe Islamic State terroristsknows no bounds. This muchshould be obvious to everyone.But apparently it isn't to JustinTrudeau. The Liberal leadersays that if he's elected, he'llsoften how Canada deals withthe terror group.On Tuesday, two major storiesabout ISIS made headlines inCanada. The first, fromReuters: "ISIS blows up ancienttombs in Palmyra, 2,000-yearoldheritage site in Syria."Palmyra is a city ISIS seized back in May. They blew up the tombs because they consideredthem sacrilegious -- not consistent with their perverse radical views.The second story -- much more shocking -- was summarized by Postmedia Network as follows:"The Islamic State has once again displayed the depths of its brutality by releasing a videoshowing the executions of prisoners by drowning in a cage, wearing exploding necklaces andbeing locked in a car and shot with a rocket."So what did Trudeau have to say about this? How will the man vying to become Canada's nextprime minister respond to this shocking display of inhumanity?The Liberal leader appeared on CBC's Power and Politics Tuesday evening and his comments onthe Islamic State were nothing short of reckless.Trudeau told host Terry Milewski: "We'd move away from the CF-18 (bombing) mission."Milewski later asked: "But if you don't want to bomb a group as ghastly as ISIS, when wouldyou ever support real military action, as opposed to just training?"Trudeau went on to essentially say he prefers talk over action: "I truly believe that Canada has atremendous role to play on the world stage -- including with our military -- but also arounddevelopment and diplomacy."25

This is both bad policy and bad politics. Bad policy because ISIS has mentioned Canada as oneof their targets a number of times and has effectively drawn Canadian youth into its death cult.It's no longer something that doesn't impact us. Like it or not, we're involved.Politically speaking, Trudeau's picked the losing side. A March poll by Ipsos Reid showed that amajority of Canadians supported expanding our mission against ISIS from the original adviseand assist role to allowing CF-18s to participate in campaigns.While Conservative supporters were most supportive of the expansion, 67% of Liberal and 56%of NDP voters also supported it. In other words, there is majority support for this missionregardless of political affiliation.To pull out our CF-18s now doesn't just violate the commitment Canada has made to helpingregular Iraqis, Syrians and Kurds be free from the ISIS menace. It goes against the views of theelectorate.The Liberals know that they've been replaced by the NDP as the preferred alternative to theConservatives because of their stance on bill C-51. Trudeau said there were problems with thebill but would support it anyway. Canadians saw this as wishy-washy.Clearly Trudeau's ISIS statements are just designed to win back some of the support they've loston the C-51 file. But is tackling ISIS the right topic to be so crassly partisan on?Trudeau wants Canadians to believe diplomacy will work instead of the current mission.Diplomacy with the Islamic State? Diplomacy with the group that puts prisoners in a cage thendrowns and explodes them?His comments are at best naive and at worst dangerous.Brief Description:Topic 4- Article 2 – Trudeau says he'd soften how Canada deals with ISISJustin Trudeau is a Liberal leader and if elected prime minister he will ease connections betweenCanada and terror groups. ISIS is a terror group that has broadcasted its execution of a hostage,they have done so my drawing him in a cage and attaching an exploding necklace to his neck.After hearing this Trudeau does still not want to take action, if you do not use military action ona dangerous terrorist group such as ISIS when does he plan on using our military force. Heproclaims that prefers “talk over action”. ISIS has portrayed Canada and our youth as a target atvarious occasions and we are associated with this group. ISIS is not only affecting Canadiancitizens but also Iraqis, Syrians, and Kurds. ISIS must be stopped and it is to late to discuss thematter to put it to bed. Majority of conservatives, 67% of liberals and 56% of NDP’s aresupportive to expand the mission against ISIS. Canadians can address this issue by not voting forJustin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister as he is opposed to stopping ISIS with military force.Help those that cannot help themselves by not voting for Justin Trudeau.26

Conclusion: Why is it important that Geography stresses the connectionsbetween different subject areas?It is very important that Geography stresses the connection between different subject areas isbecause geography itself is a large study that involves a lot of different areas and topics that needto be covered. It deals with different people from different places and different patterns that canimpact one’s opportunity and/location they reside in. Settlement patterns are very important inregards to population growth and other factors that could affect one’s environment caused bynatural harm such as pollution, gases, loitering etc. Geography does not only deal with Canada,but it deals with the world and how are Earth functions and how one’s location on this world candetermine their lifestyle and obstacles one faces. Individuals who live in a country closer to theequator will experience different climate and environmental issues, such as those who live nearlarge mountains and volcanoes. It is our job to be able to study the difference and be able toacknowledge and be aware of such hazards and problems one could experience and be able tofind the necessary protocol to resolve it, especially long term. It is important that geographystresses the connections between different subject areas to explain and portray the connectionsthat exist between each subject area – landscape, natural resources, Industries etc. Canada'slandscape is different throughout our regions and is beneficial to various types of industries.Such as crude oil that is found throughout Alberta and British Columbia. Similarly, differentcountries have different landscapes and different types of industries. One thing that I learned isthat different parts of the world have different goods and sources that another country might nothave or lack. This is where the importance of trade relationship between these countries comesinto priority, especially when looking at the structure of the economy and its needs. Canada andthe United States, Canada receives the majority of exports. Geographical changes might affecttheir trade relationship but majority of countries like to maintain a solid long-term relationshipwith certain counties to have security and assurance. As you can tell, geography deals with awide range of issues and topics. Few that I have discussed are population, location, settlementpatterns, natural disasters, geographical structures, economy, trades, etc. There are much moretopics and subjects that can be referred to in the study of geography that I may not have coveredin this discussion. This is why it is very important that Geography stresses the conectionsbetween different subject areas because it is a very broad topic that covers many differentimportant areas that affects one’s life and the function of the world.27

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