Will the Vancouver CMA change it's name?

[lio45]

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

No one ever calls it KCW or something along those lines. If you're speaking of the region, it's Waterloo. If you're speaking more specifically, it's KW and Cambridge. Even more specifically, it's Kitchener, Waterloo, Hespeler, Preston and Galt (arguably Bridgeport and Breslau could occupy this level too). Context determines if you're speaking of Waterloo the city or Waterloo the region.

I suspect that what happened in naming it is that they wanted to recognize the fact that Cambridge is quite distinct from Kitchener and Waterloo and so having a hyphenation is very appropriate in that context. At the same time, you would never hear the region as a whole referred to as Kitchener. It's always Waterloo Region or KW and Cambridge (Cambridge is *not* a part of KW). In that sense, it makes sense to refer to it as Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge, or Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge. But the normal pattern for Statistics Canada names is to do the primary name first and then follow with the largest municipalities. By that rule, Cambridge comes first and gets wedged between Kitchener and Waterloo in the name, where it has no business being.

Thanks for the explanation.

I'll take your word for it, though I suppose that kcwoldtimer as a fellow local will second everything you just said.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

The same can also be said for San Francisco.

Absolutely incorrect.

San Francisco is the largest city in population in its metro, called a MSA in the States and whose official name is San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Then just south you have another separate (and less populated) MSA, called the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara Metropolitan Statistical Area (colloquially known as Silicon Valley, or just San Jose).

Those two plus a bunch of other NorCal MSAs (Stockton, etc.) combine to form a larger group of 'connected' MSAs that is called a CSA. Official name of it is San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Combined Statistical Area.

Guess what, the three most populated cities in the CSA are exactly these three and in that order.

[ssiguy]

No.
Saanich is bigger than Victoria. Surrey's reason for existence is due to it's proximity to Vancouver and not the other way around.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

So unless I'm reading this wrong, any name change absolutely requires Vancouver to agree to let the CMA name be changed. If Vancouver vetoes the proposed new name (i.e. there's no consensus) then presumably the name is not modified...?

I'd be very surprised to learn that Vancouver would wish to become "the Vancouver-Surrey CMA" rather than just stay "the Vancouver CMA".

[SpongeG]

who even says CMA? lol

[1overcosc]

I've heard people refer to Waterloo Region as the 'Tri-Cities'. That common locally?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Blader

Agreed.
For demographic geeks following Canadian CMAs the few that are hyphenated really is not difficult to understand. I never reference Ottawa-Gatineau in general conversation - it's Ottawa, and for KW it's Kitchener or Waterloo or Cambridge. If I lived in KW then I would refine it even more.

I always say K-W in conversation in English.

As for Ottawa-Gatineau, I use a bunch of different terms depending on the context: Ottawa-Gatineau, just Ottawa, just Gatineau, the capital region, l'Outaouais, etc.

[caltrane74]

I call Kitchener-Waterloo, Kitchener.

[eemy]

Yeah, that's fairly common. Right now Tricities generally refers to KW and Cambridge, but I do wonder if over time it will grow to include Guelph as well. For example, Canada's Technology Triangle is a non-profit partnership to promote the region - it originally included Guelph (hence the triangle), though for whatever reason, it now focuses only on Waterloo Region.

Where I am in Waterloo is just about as far from Galt in Cambridge as it is from Guelph. I have far more links to Guelph than I do to Cambridge as well and would have an easier time getting around that city. Waterloo and Guelph will never become one CMA due to Statistics Canada rules, but it would be interesting to know what the nature of the commuting is between the two. In any case, as time goes on and both Guelph and Waterloo grow, it is inevitable that they will become more intertwined as well (the new Hwy 7 will certainly help) and so I imagine that terms like Tricities will inevitably come to encompass Guelph as well.

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I always say K-W in conversation in English.

I use Kaydub.

[hipster duck]

The Saanich example is the best precedent for Surrey.

Surrey was always incorporated as a "municipality", but it was a city in the loosest sense of the word. For the first 6 decades, it was basically a collection of unconnected farming villages, similar to an Ontario Township. Just like Mississauga or Scarborough, the decision to build a "downtown" was basically an after-the-fact decision made when it was apparent that the area would eventually sprawl into one contiguous built-up area. Just like Mississauga or Scarborough, they chose to build a town centre around a shopping mall near the geographic heart of the area, rather than in the largest, and most established village centre (I think this would have been Cloverdale).

San Jose is an actual city, with a mid-sized downtown prior to the Silicon Valley boom and postwar suburbanization. The equivalent would be Hamilton vis-a-vis Toronto, or New Westminster vis-a-vis Vancouver.

[MolsonExport]

Surrey conjures up a sketchy place. Not as bad as Whalley (Surrey City Centre of old) but still, Surrey is to Vancouver what Scarborough is to Toronto.

Why on earth would they consider renaming the CMA?

[flar]

Vancouver will be long forgotten by our grandchildren, a quaint historical footnote aside the gleaming modern metropolis of Surrey.

[craneSpotter]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

The Saanich example is the best precedent for Surrey.

Not really. Saanich remains a district municipality and will for the foreseeable future -it is not a real city in any way, just a big residential suburban area with no identity. There is no business/city centre etc. of any kind, or one forming anytime soon. I think Saanich will remain like this - due to the city of Victoria essentially acting as the downtown/urban/cultural core of the region.

Surrey is far more well known around the country, Saanich? not at all. I think part of it is addresses - sounds silly I guess, but people in the main municipalities in the Victoria region use Victoria as their official address, even though they live in Oak Bay, Langford or Saanich etc.

LOL - this is the mailing address for the Saanich municipal hall:

770 Vernon Avenue, Victoria, BC

This is the mailing address for Langford City Hall:

877 Goldstream Ave, Victoria, BC V9B 2X8


Surrey appears to (me) be more aggressive in their region, and will try to push its weight once it is bigger than Vancouver, population wise. Even if the official CMA name gets changed to Vancouver-Surrey... it will always be Vancouver in conversation. The names are just for administrators and statistics people.