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Motto:
Loyal it Began, Loyal it Remains
Population:
12,160,282 (2006)
The Land
The name "
Ontario
" comes from the Iroquois word "Kanadario" meaning "sparkling water." The name is fitting: not only is
Ontario
bordered on the south by the
Great Lakes
and on the north by
Hudson Bay
, but 177,390 square kilometers, or one sixth of its terrain, is covered by rivers and lakes.
Ontario
is larger than
Spain
and
France
combined. The province has a landmass of 1,068,580 square kilometers and is the 2nd largest province in
Canada
. At its greatest extremity
Ontario
is 690 km in width. the longest distance north/south is 1,730 km. The highest point, at 693 meters above sea level, is in the District of Timiskaming, near
Lady
Evelyn
Smoothwater
Provincial
Park
.
The People
With over 12 million people,
Ontario
is the country's most heavily populated province. While English is the official language,
Ontario
's Francophones play an essential part in the province's cultural life. The provincial government provides services in French in those regions where the Francophone population is sufficiently high.
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Largest Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) by Population
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2006
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2001
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Toronto CMA (Region of Peel, Region of York, City of Pickering)
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5,813,149
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4,682,897
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Ottawa-Gatineau CMA (Clarence-Rockland, Russell Township)
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1,130,761
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1,067,800
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Hamilton CMA (Burlington, Grimsby)
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692,911
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662,401
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London CMA (St. Thomas, Strathroy-Caradoc)
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457,720
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435,600
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Kitchener CMA (Cambridge, Waterloo)
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451,235
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414,284
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St. Catharines-Niagara CMA (Niagara Falls, Welland)
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390,317
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377,009
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Oshawa CMA (Whitby, Clarington)
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330,594
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296,298
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Windsor CMA (Lakeshore, LaSalle)
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323,342
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307,877
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Barrie CMA (Innisfil, Springwater)
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177,061
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148,480
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Greater Sudbury CMA (Whitefish Lake & Wanapitei Reserves)
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158,258
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155,601
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Kingston CMA
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152,358
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146,838
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Economy
Ontario's rivers, including its share of the Niagara River, make it rich in hydroelectric energy. Since the privatization of Ontario Hydro which began in 1999, Ontario Power Generation runs 85% of electricity generated in the province, of which 41% is nuclear, 30% is hydroelectric and 29% is fossil fuel derived. OPG is not however responsible for the transmission of power, which is under the control of Hydro One. Despite its diverse range of power options, problems related to increasing consumption, lack of energy efficiency and aging nuclear reactors, Ontario has been forced in recent years to purchase power from its neighbours, Quebec and Michigan to supplement its power needs during peak consumption periods.
An abundance of natural resources, excellent transportation links to the American heartland and the inland Great Lakes making ocean access possible via ship containers, have all contributed to making manufacturing the principal industry, found mainly in the Golden Horseshoe region which is the largest industrialized area in Canada. Important products include motor vehicles, iron, steel, food, electrical appliances, machinery, chemicals, and paper. Ontario surpassed Michigan in car production, assembling 2.7 million vehicles in 2004.
However, as a result of steeply declining sales, on November 21, 2005, General Motors announced massive layoffs at production facilities across North America including two large GM plants in Oshawa and a drive train facility in St. Catharines which by 2008 will result in 8,000 job losses in Ontario alone. Subsequently in January 23, 2006 Ford Motor Co. announced between 25,000 and 30,000 layoffs phased until 2012. Ontario was spared the worst, but job losses were announced for the St. Thomas facility and the Windsor casting plant. However, these losses will be offset by Ford's recent announcement of a hybrid vehicle facility slated to begin production in 2007 at its Oakville plant and GM's re-introduction of the Camaro which will be produced in Oshawa. Toyota also announced plans to build a new plant in Woodstock by 2008, and Honda also has plans to add an engine plant at its facility in Alliston.
Some economists believe that the North American Free Trade Agreement has contributed to a decline in manufacturing in part of North America's manufacturing "Rust Belt" that includes Ontario from Windsor to St. Catharines. This area and the Greater Toronto region contain the bulk of the auto sector in the province. The biggest contributing factor is the increased globalization and particularly the increasing manufacturing power from China and India that has led to the de-industrialization of Ontario and the gradual shift to a dominant service-oriented economy. These factors considered, Ontario remains an industrial giant within North America, therefore its overall economic health is still very responsive to changes that occur in this sector.
Ontario has the largest economy in Canada. Nominal Gross Domestic Product in 2003 was an estimated C$494.229 billion (40.6% of the Canadian total), larger than the GDP of Austria, Belgium or Sweden. Broken down by sector, the primary sector is 1.8% of total GDP, secondary sector 28.5%, and service sector 69.7%. Also, its economic growth is expected to outpace France, Germany, and Japan in 2006.
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