[armorand93]

Not an bad idea actually! (MrOilers idea to begin with, see now-locked Alberta economy thread)

- Surface Parking can become Government Offices/Employee Housing
- Union Station could house CN and CPR offices
- Military presence is already established (and can be expanded)
- I can get a government job (and pension) and hell
- The French employees can move to St. Boniface and not be as mad as if they would move to Calgary.
- Centre of Canada
- CentrePort Canada
- In the city where Riel rebelled, created the province of Manitoba, Treaty #1, etc etc...

Who else can add to this?

[Vertigo3000]

Not a bad idea

[jmt18325]

Or we could just, you know, leave it where it is.

[Dylan Leblanc]

:previous: what I was gonna say

[Vaillant]

Ottawa is a very bad choice for the Capital of Canada.. should still be Montreal

[Coldrsx]

Ottawa is street capital and was derived from upper an lower Canada.

[ue]

No, I think you read it wrong. They were talking about Winnipeg as a capital :D.

[Rico Rommheim]

Not an bad idea actually! (MrOilers idea to begin with, see now-locked Alberta economy thread)

- Surface Parking can become Government Offices/Employee Housing
- Union Station could house CN and CPR offices
- Military presence is already established (and can be expanded)
- I can get a government job (and pension) and hell
- The French employees can move to St. Boniface and not be as mad as if they would move to Calgary.
- Centre of Canada
- CentrePort Canada
- In the city where Riel rebelled, created the province of Manitoba, Treaty #1, etc etc...

Who else can add to this?

What? Did I miss something? Who's talking about Winnipeg becoming "an" capital? If so, Why would CN or CPR move? What is Centreport?

[Bdog]

Could it be? Does this mean that mayor Sam Katz is going to become an Prime Minister? It's all happening so fast...

[reidjr]

Ottawa is a very bad choice for the Capital of Canada.. should still be Montreal

Why do you say that?

[reidjr]

Not an bad idea actually! (MrOilers idea to begin with, see now-locked Alberta economy thread)

- Surface Parking can become Government Offices/Employee Housing
- Union Station could house CN and CPR offices
- Military presence is already established (and can be expanded)
- I can get a government job (and pension) and hell
- The French employees can move to St. Boniface and not be as mad as if they would move to Calgary.
- Centre of Canada
- CentrePort Canada
- In the city where Riel rebelled, created the province of Manitoba, Treaty #1, etc etc...

Who else can add to this?

Ottawa is a good capital has been for many years and likely will be for many years now with that said i don't think some know how big the goverment is in terms of buildings and wokrers its not just a matter of turning a few surface parking spots into office buildings in oTawa office buildings alone there is 20-30 then you have Parliment Hil which as around 8 buildings then you have 30 embassys etc.

[armorand93]

Could it be? Does this mean that mayor Sam Katz is going to become an Prime Minister? It's all happening so fast...

And then watch him scrap plans for HighSpeed Rail, only to revive a tiny stretch 8 years later :haha:

[armorand93]

What? Did I miss something? Who's talking about Winnipeg becoming "an" capital? If so, Why would CN or CPR move? What is Centreport?

If you read the "Alberta leads growth" thread, you'll know why.

CN/CPR is in Winnipeg, and Union Station would make a good office complex/train station.

CentrePort Canada is an inland port being constructed in NW Winnipeg. See Manitoba thread for better description

[reidjr]

If you read the "Alberta leads growth" thread, you'll know why.

CN/CPR is in Winnipeg, and Union Station would make a good office complex/train station.

CentrePort Canada is an inland port being constructed in NW Winnipeg. See Manitoba thread for better description

I really don't think there is much of a chance there going to move the goverment to Winnipeg with all the new buildings that are beeing built in Ottawa plus the amount of current buildings that are beeing upgrated i think its safe to say Ottawa will be the capital for many years to come.

[armorand93]

I really don't think there is much of a chance there going to move the goverment to Winnipeg with all the new buildings that are beeing built in Ottawa plus the amount of current buildings that are beeing upgrated i think its safe to say Ottawa will be the capital for many years to come.

You do know I was making a joke, right? Just seeing who'd play along...

[Rico Rommheim]

If you read the "Alberta leads growth" thread, you'll know why.


No thanks, I read one page of it, and had my shot of vitriolic diatribe for years to come.

CN/CPR is in Winnipeg, and Union Station would make a good office complex/train station.



Funny, always thought that CN was in Montreal, and CP in Calgary. Not that it makes a difference, what does having railway companies have anything to do with being a capital city? Look at Ottawa, its got the shittiest train station I've ever seen, placed in some remote no man's land, to boot.

[MrOilers]

(MrOilers idea to begin with, see now-locked Alberta economy thread)

It was more of a hypothetical "what if?" than an actual "idea".

There's no reason to change the nation's capital city. I still think Winnipeg would make a great capital city of Canada, though.

[MolsonExport]

nope, never.

[jmt18325]

Ottawa is a very bad choice for the Capital of Canada.. should still be Montreal

Any reason for that?

[Vaillant]

Why do you say that?

Because Montreal use to be the Capital and is the best choice to be Capital of this country for the fact that Montreal is a real bilingual city not like Ottawa that chinese woman tell me to go the other side of the river if i want to speak french!

[MrOilers]

Montreal is a real bilingual city not like Ottawa that chinese woman tell me to go the other side of the river if i want to speak french!


Yes, Montreal should be the capital city because a Chinese woman told Vaillant to go to the other side of the river. That will go down as a true turning point in Canada's history.

[Razor]

I know this thread is tongue and cheek, but the more I think of it Winnipeg as the capital would of made sense.When Ottawa was chosen, Winnipeg,Edmonton,etc. were off the beaten path..Too isolated and far off from the major train/shipping routes which is how every-one travelled..Nowadays, location to the seaboard doesn't matter..The old saying the "World's a smaller place". Ottawa would of remained a logging town if that happened...

[armorand93]

yes, montreal should be the capital city because a chinese woman told vaillant to go to the other side of the river. That will go down as a true turning point in canada's history.

lol

[armorand93]

I know this thread is tongue and cheek, but the more I think of it Winnipeg as the capital would of made sense.When Ottawa was chosen, Winnipeg,Edmonton,etc. were off the beaten path..Too isolated and far off from the major train/shipping routes which is how every-one travelled..Nowadays, location to the seaboard doesn't matter..The old saying the "World's a smaller place". Ottawa would of remained a logging town if that happened...

Winnipegs better located for transportation anyway. Churchill can be the sea port, roads across Canada that go down to the US and Mexico, both tracks of CN and CPR, and air travel could rapidly expand in Winnipeg as well along with the fact William Stephenson opened commercial aviation here

[Mister F]

Yes we should spend untold millions to move the capital to Winnipeg because it's in the middle. That makes sense. But why stop there? Brazil should move its capital to the middle of the Amazon. Russia's capital should be in the middle of Siberia. Canberra should be somewhere in the Outback, and Washington should be moved to Kansas. :tup:

Yeah I know this idea's a joke but a lot of people take crazy stuff like this seriously.

[earl69]

Because Montreal use to be the Capital and is the best choice to be Capital of this country for the fact that Montreal is a real bilingual city not like Ottawa that chinese woman tell me to go the other side of the river if i want to speak french!

Compelling argument.

[DizzyEdge]

Because Montreal use to be the Capital and is the best choice to be Capital of this country for the fact that Montreal is a real bilingual city not like Ottawa that chinese woman tell me to go the other side of the river if i want to speak french!

Really?? When I was last in Ottawa I felt like the dumbest person in the city since it seemed virtually everyone was perfectly bilingual.

[DizzyEdge]

I know this thread is tongue and cheek, but the more I think of it Winnipeg as the capital would of made sense.When Ottawa was chosen, Winnipeg,Edmonton,etc. were off the beaten path..Too isolated and far off from the major train/shipping routes which is how every-one travelled..Nowadays, location to the seaboard doesn't matter..The old saying the "World's a smaller place". Ottawa would of remained a logging town if that happened...

More like when Ottawa was chosen, Winnipeg, Edmonton, etc were just wooden forts.

[DizzyEdge]

How bout we revisit this if this happens:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/12/23/ottawa-quake-risk.html

[vid]

"Dimmed indeed must be the sense of appreciation of him whose heart is not thrilled with the natural picturesque grandeur, the unrivalled location and strategic importance of the princely city on the shores of Thunder Bay, the Gibraltar of the Canadian West." - Can't remember who said this. :(

Clearly, this should be the city we choose as the national capital.

"If I were an artist, I would choose Thunder Bay in a storm as the grandest representation of the end of the world." - Catherine Moodie Vickers (1873)

Or, maybe not...

[DizzyEdge]

One thing I find really interesting about Winnipeg, is unlike other cities (particularly American) which were big and then declined, Winnipeg's population has continued to increase, and not decrease.

Although perhaps the decrease in American cities is more due to white flight than the actual economic decline, or a portion of the decline was just movement of economic activity into the burbs.

[DizzyEdge]

Also here's an earthquake map of Canada, maybe the capital should be in Winnipeg :)

http://commons.bcit.ca/civil/students/earthquakes/earthquakes_canada.gif
http://commons.bcit.ca/civil/students/earthquakes/unit1_02.htm

[DizzyEdge]

I thought it would be fun to see where the perfect capital location would be, east to west, if the capital had approx equal GDP to the east of it, and to the west of it.
(I ignored the territories)

Turns out since Ottawa is at the far east of Ontario, it has about $1124 billion GDP to the west of it (being that virtually all of Ontario is to the west), and $395 billion to the right of it. However, if you had a capital on the opposite side of Ontario, so that all of Ontario was to the East of it, then you would have $546 billion to the west, and $973 billion to the east. So it seems the perfect spot to have balanced GDP on either side would be.... Toronto.


This did not work out as planned...

[Vaillant]

Yes, Montreal should be the capital city because a Chinese woman told Vaillant to go to the other side of the river. That will go down as a true turning point in Canada's history.

yes :haha:

[M II A II R II K]

The capital should be bilingual, so perhaps Sudbury, Ontario instead.

[vid]

Sudbury is only a couple hours away from Ottawa. You might as well not even bother.

[M II A II R II K]

Then Kenora then, it's also centered by being halfway up north, and they can represent Ojibwe too.

[DizzyEdge]

Put it here, at the south end of beautiful Kasba Lake.

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=60.000359,-101.999817&hl=en&ll=59.906845,-101.719666&spn=0.780843,2.705383&sll=59.90409,-101.719666&sspn=0.786417,2.705383&vpsrc=0&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=9&t=h&z=9

[vid]

It isn't really a four corners. It is two three corners about 60m apart.

Then Kenora then, it's also centered by being halfway up north, and they can represent Ojibwe too.

Kenora would have made an amazing large city. The terrain is really unique. Their main mode of public transit would probably be ferries in the summer, some sort of ice glider thing in winter.

[itom 987]

Canada needs to develop it's north so let's have the capital located in the geographical centre of the country. Churchill would make an excellent candidate for Canada's "Brasilia".

[PoscStudent]

A much better place would be St. John's because it is the closest city to our Queen, in about 4 hours we can have her in the capital in case of an emergency.

[Urban_Genius]

It looks like I missed a lot of fun stuff this past couple days. It's good to know some SSP forumers are totally ignorant based on the "Alberta poised to lead the Canadian economy" thread :koko:

In any event, Winnipeg's already the slurpee capital of the world....seems like a perfect place to have as our capital lol

[eternallyme]

IMO, if a new capital is to be built and developed, it should be Thunder Bay.

[vid]

The last thing we need in Thunder Bay is more politicians.

[Rico Rommheim]

Enough please, you're gonna make vid spin like a top!

[M II A II R II K]

If we were still under 19th Century conditions maybe it would make sense to move the capital but not with todays technology and communications abilities.

And should the US change their capital to Tulsa, Oklahoma using that same logic??

[Vaillant]

The capital should be bilingual, so perhaps Sudbury, Ontario instead.

I go often i have family in Sudbury :D but to be realistic the Capital City should be a city that represent the best this country and Ottawa don't!

[jmt18325]

I'm still not really sure why Ottawa is apparently so bad to you.

[flar]

This might be the most inane thread in SSP history.

[Rico Rommheim]

This might be the most inane thread in SSP history.

Agreed. The title itself is a winner.

Next thread title:

Did I really hear that right - the laurentian mountains as an next rockie mountains??!!

[JHikka]

This might be the most inane thread in SSP history.

I'll agree with this.

[GORDBO]

In Winnipeg, we can't evem build a national museum without going over budget and behind schedule. In other words, we would be the perfect place to run the country from lol!:banana:

[Bdog]

Next thread title:

Did I really hear that right - the laurentian mountains as an next rockie mountains??!!

Could it be - salted lake superior as a improved atlantic ocean?!?!?

[trueviking]

In Winnipeg, we can't evem build a national museum without going over budget and behind schedule. In other words, we would be the perfect place to run the country from lol!:banana:

check out the last two new national museums built in ottawa....war museum 30% over budget, museum of civilization 300% over budget.

[whatnext]

The smart money's on Regina. ;)

[DizzyEdge]

This might be the most inane thread in SSP history.

It's funny though. At least everyone is being nice to each other.

[chrisallard5454]

I know this thread is a joke, but to those saying the Capital should be bilingual. The majority of Winnipeg is bilingual. In fact Manitoba has the second largest Francophone population in the country. Almost everyone I know speaks more French than English. Although their French is more based from France not Quebec. I am not sure of the differences, I just know they are there.

[someone123]

I know this thread is a joke, but to those saying the Capital should be bilingual. The majority of Winnipeg is bilingual. In fact Manitoba has the second largest Francophone population in the country. Almost everyone I know speaks more French than English. Although their French is more based from France not Quebec. I am not sure of the differences, I just know they are there.

http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo11b-eng.htm

[armorand93]

I know this thread is a joke, but to those saying the Capital should be bilingual. The majority of Winnipeg is bilingual. In fact Manitoba has the second largest Francophone population in the country. Almost everyone I know speaks more French than English. Although their French is more based from France not Quebec. I am not sure of the differences, I just know they are there.

It's definitely Quebec-based. Voyageurs (and my ancestors, hence armorand93) and such came there before the British did. Also, we're the 2nd highest for sure!


Also here's an earthquake map of Canada, maybe the capital should be in Winnipeg :)

http://commons.bcit.ca/civil/students/earthquakes/earthquakes_canada.gif
http://commons.bcit.ca/civil/students/earthquakes/unit1_02.htm

Does Manitoba even have a dot? :haha:


Agreed. The title itself is a winner.

Next thread title:

Did I really hear that right - the laurentian mountains as an next rockie mountains??!!

Why thank you :P


This might be the most inane thread in SSP history.

Yes! :5:

...please ignore the "happy bday" on that smiley, didnt know it was there lol

[armorand93]

I also believe this thread should be preserved for the ages :jester:

[jeremy_haak]

I know this thread is a joke, but to those saying the Capital should be bilingual. The majority of Winnipeg is bilingual. In fact Manitoba has the second largest Francophone population in the country. Almost everyone I know speaks more French than English. Although their French is more based from France not Quebec. I am not sure of the differences, I just know they are there.

I'm not sure if this is a joke or not, but the absurdity of it must be corrected.

Comparing Manitoba as a whole to just the Ontario part of Ottawa-Gatineau, you get as follows:

French as Mother Tongue
Manitoba: 46585
Ottawa: 146360

Knowledge of French
Manitoba: 105450
Ottawa: 336255

French Spoken at Home
Manitoba: 21550
Ottawa: 111775

Source: 2006 Census

[MolsonExport]

Deux oeufs frites et trois morceaux de bacon, et puis des toasts pain brun avec fromage.

[chrisallard5454]

Consider me corrected. Although I have been told by numerous people this statistic. So the validity seemed accurate, when also including the amount of French speaking people I know in and around Winnipeg. Now maybe the statistic is per capita based. I do not Know. All I know is that there is a hell of a lot of Francophone's in Manitoba. Also people may be including Metis in that statistic what with the history of Metis people being French and Aboriginal. There are entire towns in Manitoba that speak only French. Also I took into consideration the amount of French towns surrounding Winnipeg. Saint Francois Xavier, La Salle, La Barriere, Saint Adolphe, Ile Des Chenes, Lorrette, Morris, Ste. John Baptist, Ste. Elizabeth, Du Frost, Garson, These are just a few of a great number surrounding Winnipeg. Not mention St. Boniface and St. Vital of which I would say at least 3/4 speak French. This is of course from my own experience.

Now I can understand that with these absurd experiences of my own, how stupid I must be to assume that the multiple people I have heard this from were wrong. Dang. From now on I shall make it a priority to look up and confirm every statistic that enters my brain, thus preventing myself from sluing such an absurd statistic in the future.

[MolsonExport]

There are entire towns in Manitoba that speak only French.

No way, Jose. There aren't even entire towns in Quebec that speak only French.

[chrisallard5454]

No way, Jose. There aren't even entire towns in Quebec that speak only French.

Excuse my wording, I meant French towns. As in majority populations that speak French. As in almost everyone has to have a handle on French. As in all the signs are French. All store owners have to speak French. As in living in a French Culture. Also everyone I know that speaks French also speaks fluent English as well. Its interesting to note that everyone I know who speaks French only really does so in there household. In public they speak English. It is kind of funny actually they jump back and forth a lot, speaking sentences half French and half English.

[Acajack]

Excuse my wording, I meant French towns. As in majority populations that speak French. As in almost everyone has to have a handle on French. As in all the signs are French. All store owners have to speak French. As in living in a French Culture. Also everyone I know that speaks French also speaks fluent English as well. Its interesting to note that everyone I know who speaks French only really does so in there household. In public they speak English. It is kind of funny actually they jump back and forth a lot, speaking sentences half French and half English.

With all due respect, I think that people in the ROC-outside-Quebec often tend to overestimate just how much French is around them. Manitoba is like 5% native French-speaking on a good day, and the % that speaks French at home is something like half that. This is verifiable on Stats Canada's website.

You may just be hanging out in a French-oriented gang, but one should never mistake one's entourage for wider society.

[Acajack]

I'm not sure if this is a joke or not, but the absurdity of it must be corrected.

Comparing Manitoba as a whole to just the Ontario part of Ottawa-Gatineau, you get as follows:

French as Mother Tongue
Manitoba: 46585
Ottawa: 146360

Knowledge of French
Manitoba: 105450
Ottawa: 336255

French Spoken at Home
Manitoba: 21550
Ottawa: 111775

Source: 2006 Census

Manitoba is not even the western province with the most francophones any more. Alberta is now number one for sure and I think BC may have more francophones as well now.

When it comes to cities I think Moncton and Sudbury may have more francophones than Winnipeg. Maybe Timmins also and probably Toronto as well.

The thing about Winnipeg and Manitoba having the most francophones outside Quebec was probably true at some point in history, and the perception just hasn't died out yet.

[Acajack]

Excuse my wording, I meant French towns. As in majority populations that speak French. As in almost everyone has to have a handle on French. As in all the signs are French. All store owners have to speak French. As in living in a French Culture. Also everyone I know that speaks French also speaks fluent English as well. Its interesting to note that everyone I know who speaks French only really does so in there household. In public they speak English. It is kind of funny actually they jump back and forth a lot, speaking sentences half French and half English.

Why do all these towns have to have signs in French and shop owners who speak French and how can they be living in a French culture if no one ever speaks French out in public?

[Acajack]

Consider me corrected. Although I have been told by numerous people this statistic. So the validity seemed accurate, when also including the amount of French speaking people I know in and around Winnipeg. Now maybe the statistic is per capita based. I do not Know. All I know is that there is a hell of a lot of Francophone's in Manitoba.

Or perhaps it is just that there are more francophones than one might expect?

[M II A II R II K]

Agreed. The title itself is a winner.

Next thread title:

Did I really hear that right - the laurentian mountains as an next rockie mountains??!!


There's been far worse and funny too.

[chrisallard5454]

Why do all these towns have to have signs in French and shop owners who speak French and how can they be living in a French culture if no one ever speaks French out in public?

You are taking two comments and combining them. Most people I know speak it at home. You are assuming I know everyone from every town surrounding the city of Winnipeg. But anyways as I have already admitted I was wrong about the stats. Need you continue to berate me for it, then go ahead. :cheers:

[chrisallard5454]

Or perhaps it is just that there are more francophones than one might expect?

:haha: What does this even mean?

[chrisallard5454]

Also I spoke with some boys in the Manitoba section, and it may be that St. Boniface is the largest French Community outside of Quebec (Per Capita of course), and maybe I just mixed up locations. If that also incorrect feel free to let me know.

[MolsonExport]

^Hawkesbury: 89% of the population is made up of French speaking Franco-Ontarians. Surely this proportion is not exceeded in St. Boniface.


Hawkesbury should be the capital :D

[roccerfeller]

A much better place would be St. John's because it is the closest city to our Queen, in about 4 hours we can have her in the capital in case of an emergency.

:haha:

i love it...in case someone badly needs to paint a portrait of her, and she needs to be here stat, this makes the most sense.

St John's it is.

[roccerfeller]

This might be the most inane thread in SSP history.

Agreed. The title itself is a winner.

Next thread title:

Did I really hear that right - the laurentian mountains as an next rockie mountains??!!

:haha::haha::haha:

i'm enjoying this thread quite a bit...and the responses more so

I hope no ones is taking ammorand seriously, he's just making a fun little goofy thread. Nice break from the serious discussions that also happen here.

[roccerfeller]

Manitoba is not even the western province with the most francophones any more. Alberta is now number one for sure and I think BC may have more francophones as well now.

When it comes to cities I think Moncton and Sudbury may have more francophones than Winnipeg. Maybe Timmins also and probably Toronto as well.

The thing about Winnipeg and Manitoba having the most francophones outside Quebec was probably true at some point in history, and the perception just hasn't died out yet.


Didn't know about AB or BC (specifically Vancouver, Calgary & Edmonton)

I have a hard time getting around in french there...not so much in Winnipeg. Winnipeg is no Quebec or Ottawa (ottawa, as the capitol, I would expect to have more french speaking people there plus it borders Quebec) but if you're in St Boniface, or St Norbert, even St Vital, and in the major AB or BC cities I have not seen any local French TV channel (that is not national) or come across any local french radio stations...they might exist but I've never seen it nor heard it

We have several french radio stations (a few on FM and a few on AM), local CBC franco-manitoban media, and Winnipeg has a French University. Sure its not large (I think only 2000 students), but chrisallard is not incorrect when he says there's a lot of french speaking people in Winnipeg, and every school division in the city has at least one or two french immersion schools per each grade. Its not Quebec, but there's a strong french presence in Winnipeg...5% maybe natively speaking the language, but people who know French is much higher. Its normal in that city for one out of 6 or 7 people to be fluent in french.

Everyone just speaks english in general here yes, but half of the city has bilingual street signs which I have not ever seen in other western Canadian cities.

As far as western Canada goes, Winnipeg is by far the most french cultured/influenced by a mile. The francophone communities further west at the very least SEEM tiny in comparison, though I do hope they all grow in the future.

Would be nice to get the country to a point where one day everything is essentially bilingual. That would be cool

[Acajack]

Also I spoke with some boys in the Manitoba section, and it may be that St. Boniface is the largest French Community outside of Quebec (Per Capita of course), and maybe I just mixed up locations. If that also incorrect feel free to let me know.

St-Boniface is certainly the historic heart of the French-speaking community in Winnipeg and is likely the largest single concentration (in sheer numbers) of francophones in a given area in Western Canada. But according to the City of Winnipeg, francophones are not the majority in St-Boniface, since people who speak only English are 70% of the population there:
http://www.winnipeg.ca/census/2006/Wards/St.%20Boniface%20Ward/St.%20Boniface%20Ward.pdf

As far as percentages, several cities and towns have higher percentages of francophones: Hawkesbury as already mentioned, also Hearst in that province is close to 90% as well. Edmundston, NB is around 96% French speaking and New Brunswick also has towns like Caraquet and Tracadie-Sheila that are virtually 100% francophone. The Moncton suburb of Dieppe has about 20,000 people and 70-75% of them are francophone.

Also, the east end Ottawa suburb of Orleans has 100,000 people, a third of which are francophone, which means more than 30,000 francophones there.

[DizzyEdge]

Deux oeufs frites et trois morceaux de bacon, et puis des toasts pain brun avec fromage.

Uggh I skipped breakfast and that made me so hungry.

[eternallyme]

If we were still under 19th Century conditions maybe it would make sense to move the capital but not with todays technology and communications abilities.

And should the US change their capital to Tulsa, Oklahoma using that same logic??

Or some frontier town like Dodge City, Kansas?

[Vaillant]

^Hawkesbury: 89% of the population is made up of French speaking Franco-Ontarians. Surely this proportion is not exceeded in St. Boniface.


Hawkesbury should be the capital :D

no please that would be torture..

[Vaillant]

Deux oeufs frites et trois morceaux de bacon, et puis des toasts pain brun avec fromage.

That made me hungry and is exactly what i made for breakfast

[Bdog]

St-Boniface is certainly the historic heart of the French-speaking community in Winnipeg and is likely the largest single concentration (in sheer numbers) of francophones in a given area in Western Canada. But according to the City of Winnipeg, francophones are not the majority in St-Boniface, since people who speak only English are 70% of the population there:
http://www.winnipeg.ca/census/2006/Wards/St.%20Boniface%20Ward/St.%20Boniface%20Ward.pdf

As far as percentages, several cities and towns have higher percentages of francophones: Hawkesbury as already mentioned, also Hearst in that province is close to 90% as well. Edmundston, NB is around 96% French speaking and New Brunswick also has towns like Caraquet and Tracadie-Sheila that are virtually 100% francophone. The Moncton suburb of Dieppe has about 20,000 people and 70-75% of them are francophone.

Also, the east end Ottawa suburb of Orleans has 100,000 people, a third of which are francophone, which means more than 30,000 francophones there.

Fair points, as always, Acajack - however, in this case, the St. Boniface Ward is not the same as the St. Boniface neighbourhood. The ward includes several anglophone neighbourhoods and new suburbs to the south...

[Metro-One]

Didn't know about AB or BC (specifically Vancouver, Calgary & Edmonton)

I have a hard time getting around in french there...not so much in Winnipeg. Winnipeg is no Quebec or Ottawa (ottawa, as the capitol, I would expect to have more french speaking people there plus it borders Quebec) but if you're in St Boniface, or St Norbert, even St Vital, and in the major AB or BC cities I have not seen any local French TV channel (that is not national) or come across any local french radio stations...they might exist but I've never seen it nor heard it

We have several french radio stations (a few on FM and a few on AM), local CBC franco-manitoban media, and Winnipeg has a French University. Sure its not large (I think only 2000 students), but chrisallard is not incorrect when he says there's a lot of french speaking people in Winnipeg, and every school division in the city has at least one or two french immersion schools per each grade. Its not Quebec, but there's a strong french presence in Winnipeg...5% maybe natively speaking the language, but people who know French is much higher. Its normal in that city for one out of 6 or 7 people to be fluent in french.

Everyone just speaks english in general here yes, but half of the city has bilingual street signs which I have not ever seen in other western Canadian cities.

As far as western Canada goes, Winnipeg is by far the most french cultured/influenced by a mile. The francophone communities further west at the very least SEEM tiny in comparison, though I do hope they all grow in the future.

Would be nice to get the country to a point where one day everything is essentially bilingual. That would be cool

Hopefully BC will become bi-lingual, but chances are it will be Chinese and english, not French and English.

I have nothing against French the language or French culture in Canada, but it is very artificially placed upon BC (and Alberta as well) regarding direct cultural attributes (don't bother pointing out all the indirect influences simply by being part of Canada).

Again, don't want to start an argument or anything like that, just how I feel. West of the Rockies we are very British influenced historically and recently very Pacific Rim influenced / concentrated. I always find much of the French vs. English discussions regarding Quebec, the Maritimes, Ontario, etc... very alien to me. For example, in Coastal BC there seem to be far more locations with Spanish names than French! (hinting that in the early years the Spanish had just as much influence along coastal BC, which at a time they did claim, than French). And while the majority of Canadian history is an expansion from west to east, BC did have a smaller west to east expansion (against the grain of the rest of the country). This becomes apparent when you study the history of the gold rushes and the European expansion from the coast into the Cariboo region and eventually other interior locations up the Fraser and Thompson Rivers). This of course was just natural at the time to start from the readily accessible Sea shore inwards.

In some ways to me, BC even feels artificially part of Canada. For many British Columbians the world kind of ends at the Rockies (although for some it ends at the Alberta / Saskatchewan border) with Toronto being a far off Island.

Wow, sorry for the rant, hehe.

Back on topic, I do feel that Winnipeg in this day and age would be the natural choice for Canada's Capital. But of course this is just a for fun exercise.

[DizzyEdge]

I'm not sure if it's that artificially placed in Alberta, French fur traders established forts and villages, some of which still exist, in the 1700s, and Quebec priests set up missions in the province, part of Calgary used to be a French Catholic village before being swallowed up.

[Metro-One]

:previous:yeah, thats why i put Alberta in brackets, haha, because I am not as keen on their history as BC. And again, there is some French influence in BC as well, but the scale of it is so mall compared to other cultural influences and the direct role it played elsewhere in Canada. Hence I find French bilingualism to be very artificial in BC.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Because Montreal use to be the Capital and is the best choice to be Capital of this country for the fact that Montreal is a real bilingual city not like Ottawa that chinese woman tell me to go the other side of the river if i want to speak french!

1. Toronto also used to be the Capital.

2. Ottawa is a real bilingual city; the eastern-half is French and the city across the river is French.

3. Montreal isn't all roses; I've been told off for trying to acquire services in English.

[someone123]

1. Toronto also used to be the Capital.

The legislature was already in Ottawa by 1867. Toronto and Montreal were only temporary capitals for the Province of Canada, which consisted of part of present-day Ontario and Quebec and did not have the same level of independence from Britain that Canada did post-BNA Act. It's not really correct to suggest that any of those cities were the capital of Canada as we now know it.

[vid]

I hear people speaking French out in public quite often in Thunder Bay so I would be surprised if you don't hear it in St. Boniface.

[M II A II R II K]

BC is kind of like a Canadian colony that's hacked onto Canada.

[begratto]

2. Ottawa is a real bilingual city; the eastern-half is French and the city across the river is French.


In my experience, in Ottawa, the francophones are bilingual and the anglophones are unilingual. It's almost impossible to get service in French in the stores on the Ontario side, unless the employee is a French-speaker.

You have a much higher chance of being served in English in Montreal than I have of being served in French in Ottawa.

In Montreal, the proportion of bilingualism is much higher in both groups. 52% of the population knows both languages (source (http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=F&Geo1=CMA&Code1=462&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=Montreal&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=462)). In Ottawa-Gatineau, the % is 44% (38% on the Ontario side, 62% on the Quebec side) (source (http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/search-recherche/lst/page.cfm?Lang=F&GeoCode=35)).

I'd say Montreal is the only "real" bilingual city of the country.

[M II A II R II K]

You probably wouldn't find a Quebecker under 30 that can't speak English these days.

[RyeJay]

In my experience, in Ottawa, the francophones are bilingual and the anglophones are unilingual. It's almost impossible to get service in French in the stores on the Ontario side, unless the employee is a French-speaker.

You have a much higher chance of being served in English in Montreal than I have of being served in French in Ottawa.

In Montreal, the proportion of bilingualism is much higher in both groups. 52% of the population knows both languages (source (http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=F&Geo1=CMA&Code1=462&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=Montreal&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=462)). In Ottawa-Gatineau, the % is 44% (38% on the Ontario side, 62% on the Quebec side) (source (http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/search-recherche/lst/page.cfm?Lang=F&GeoCode=35)).

I'd say Montreal is the only "real" bilingual city of the country.

So if you were to find a Canadian city that has a higher percentage of bilingual people--compared to Montreal's 52%--then this new city would replace Montreal as the "only real bilingual city" of the country?

:haha:

[cornholio]

If Quebec wasnt French I think Winnipeg would be a great choice for the capital, certainly wouldn't be surprised if it was chosen last century.

Its centrally located, its always good to have your capital centrally located so as to better unite the country. It is also a small city, but not too small, pretty much perfect for a capital. As you can see most common wealth countries didnt place the capital in the largest city, afterall the countries own citizens are the greatest threat and a capital in a large city comes with certain dangers. Where do revolts and protests tend to start? In the largest city, so its only good practice to keep the countries government outside of it. The British knew what they were doing back in the day.

[M II A II R II K]

Winnipeg may be physically centrally located, but the centre of gravity is in the south east.

[M II A II R II K]

It was more relevant before when the capitals were made up when there were no such thing as sending transmissions of any kind. As long as it takes a matter of hours at most to fly to the capital from within Canada it doesn't really matter.

[cornholio]

Winnipeg may be physically centrally located, but the centre of gravity is in the south east.

Yes and Ottawa is a good city for the capital, but your opinion might change if the west had a serious separatist movement. Canada has been doing good, the people are well off, and this is why the country has held together even if the west feels incredibly separated from the Feds. If Canada wasnt so lucky a Winipeg location would have been the best bet to keep the country united(ignoring the French issue). The west would be no farther from the seat of government then the east, this would be incredibly important in keeping the two halves of Canada glued together via Winnipeg. At the end of the day the operations of government are pretty simple and the symbolism of the seat of powers location is all that matters. A united country is a efficient country, the greatest cost to government is keeping its people united. Infact it would be interesting to see the costs and benefits of locating capitals more centrally. Certainly in Brazils case moving the capital from Rio to Brasilia was the single best thing that country did, it removed the image of bias from the government and helped in uniting the people.

[M II A II R II K]

That's what representatives from around the country is for, although it doesn't help when PEI has 4x the representation than everywhere else and Alberta is less represented than in the East.

And introducing that Triple E senate would be a great idea.

[Rico Rommheim]

Montreal's 52% stat is only true in paper. In 24 years there I've met only a handful of francophones who had 0 English speaking aptitude and very little Anglos who didn't speak French. Those who didn't, were either douches or from (the rest of) Canada. Montreal is probably 80% bilingual.

Funny aside, I'm often made fun of by my friends that I speak only TWO languages. Damn I miss home :(

[cornholio]

It was more relevant before when the capitals were made up when there were no such thing as sending transmissions of any kind. As long as it takes a matter of hours at most to fly to the capital from within Canada it doesn't really matter.

It certainly matters, people in the west feel there is a strong bias towards the east and it doesnt matter if its true or not because that feeling is a consequence of the distance and location of Ottawa. In Winnipeg this feeling would certainly disappear, not to mention that the location of Winnipeg would allow a greater separation of the feds from local politics and allow them to do their job and that is to run the country as a whole.

There might not be any big separatist movements in the west now but with a bit of economic hardship they can and will sprout up. And even without them there is a incalculable cost to the feeling of bias and separation, like I said the greatest cost to government is keeping the country united, the more united a country and the more productive it is and effective its policies. I think most here should understand the difference between a united work place, a partially united workplace and non united work place is. A country is not much different. One of the most effective ways of uniting a country is to locate the capital in the best possible location, one where it will appear unbiased.