How would you rank Canada's 5 most important cities?

[balletomane]

How would you rank be Canada's 5 most important cities and why?
Things to consider would be cultural influence, economic influence, political influence, location and historical importance.

For me,
1. Toronto - Canada's largest city and financial hub.
2. Montreal - Canada's "second city", and once financial hub.
3. Ottawa - Nation's capital.
4. Vancouver - Largest western city, our port to the Pacific.
5. Calgary - Headquarters of most oil corporations.

[Laceoflight]

Sorry. Misread. See you later. [post deleted].

---

Back.

My factual ranking would be :
1. Toronto. Essentially for its economic hegemony. And politics.
2. Montréal. For the culture, the history, and the image of this "bilingual" country we live in. Happy jour du Canada, hé!
3. Vancouver. Undoubtedly a star on the rise.
4. Ottawa. Because of the people that spend the year there in "some building with a peaceful tower".
5. Évidemment, the 5th place is hard to determine. I'd say it's a tie between Calgary (more actual, for its economy) and Winnipeg (more a thing from the past, for its cultural scene and economy... shitstorm ahead I know). Winnipeg used to have a lot of influence over this country, as the gateway to the West, in times when Calgary and Edmonton were not even something.

My heart's ranking would be different. But that's for another thread.

[TownGuy]

1. Cobourg
2. St. John's
3. Edmonton
4. Maple Creek
5. Toronto

[logan5]

Fairly obvious answers here. What will be interesting is how these rankings will look 50 years from now. I have no doubts China is going to be an economic powerhouse that will dwarf even the U.S. Vancouver will by far benefit from this the most because of our obvious strong ties there. I believe the Chinese presence in Vancouver will be so strong that this city will be closing on Toronto as Canada's lead city in the next 50 to 100 years.

[SignalHillHiker]

1. Toronto

Not really sure what to do with Montreal and Ottawa. Montreal is #1 for a significant portion of the country, but Ottawa has at least abstract relevance for all of it.

3 to 5 would be the primary regional cities, perhaps:

3. Vancouver
4. Calgary
5. Halifax

Then there are regions too isolated to be adequately represented by those regional big boys - the territories, the stretch from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay, Newfoundland - but with far too little national significance to be ranked.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by balletomane

How would you rank be Canada's 5 most important cities and why?
Things to consider would be cultural influence, economic influence, political influence, location and historical importance.

For me,
1. Toronto - Canada's largest city and financial hub.
2. Montreal - Canada's "second city", and once financial hub.
3. Ottawa - Nation's capital.
4. Vancouver - Largest western city, our port to the Pacific.
5. Calgary - Headquarters of most oil corporations.

1 and 2 are obvious. One could quibble about the placement of 3, 4 and 5, but those are the five. Although I suppose it depends what exactly you are ranking them on - your inclusion of "historical importance" doesn't seem to fit well with your other criteria and would pretty much oblige you to put Quebec City on the list, likely in place of Calgary.

[Beedok]

1. Toronto
2. Montreal

3. Ottawa
4. Vancouver

5. Um... Quebec City or Calgary. Going to be Calgary solidly in a couple decades, but Quebec City has the history.

Hon. Mentions to Halifax and Winnipeg.

[urbanroo]

In terms of economy:

1) Toronto
2) Vancouver
3) Montreal
4) Calgary
5) Edmonton

In terms of politics:

1) Ottawa
2) Toronto
3) Quebec City
4) Edmonton
5) Victoria

In terms of education:

1) Montreal
2) Toronto
3) Vancouver
4) Edmonton
5) Ottawa

In terms of historical importance

1) Montreal
2) Quebec City
3) Toronto
4) Halifax
5) Vancouver

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by urbanroo

In terms of economy:

1) Toronto
2) Vancouver
3) Montreal
4) Calgary
5) Edmonton

In terms of politics:

1) Ottawa
2) Toronto
3) Quebec City
4) Edmonton
5) Victoria

In terms of education:

1) Montreal
2) Toronto
3) Vancouver
4) Edmonton
5) Ottawa

In terms of historical importance

1) Montreal
2) Quebec City
3) Toronto
4) Halifax
5) Vancouver

I am open to differing views but with all due respect, you're out to lunch on a few of these.

For starters, there is no way Vancouver tops Montreal in economic matters at the moment. If anything, it might arguably that's third and ahead of Vancouver.

In terms of politics, Montreal is roughly tied with Toronto in second place IMO. Calgary is also a fairly important city politically in Canada now.

And Ottawa needs to be there in terms of historical importance as it's been the capital of Canada for over 150 years (some time before Confederation).

[TownGuy]

Toronto is the provincial capital of the largest province in the country in no way is Montreal equal to it in that respect.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by TownGuy

Toronto is the provincial capital of the largest province in the country in no way is Montreal equal to it in that respect.

I don't dispute the first part of your statement and its relevancy, but there is a "legacy" political role that Montreal has in addition to a series of other factors that IMO pull it even with Toronto.

I'll admit that in 10-20 years this may no longer be the case.

[TownGuy]

You gotta be a little delusional if you think a legacy roll, whatever it is, pulls it even with a provincial capital that makes direct decisions for a province containing over 1/3 of Canadians and the far reaching effects that has for the rest of the country. Oh and is also the largest city in the country to boot.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by Acajack

For starters, there is no way Vancouver tops Montreal in economic matters at the moment. If anything, it might arguably that's third and ahead of Vancouver.

In terms of politics, Montreal is roughly tied with Toronto in second place IMO. Calgary is also a fairly important city politically in Canada now.

I'm finding it difficult to compare Montreal and Vancouver's economies because Metro Vancouver is split up by 23 different municipalities.

Calgary's importance has plummeted with the oil crash, which may never recover with electric cars finally being marketable.

Also yeah Montreal is closer to dropping to third than competing with Toronto.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Pinion

I'm finding it difficult to compare Montreal and Vancouver's economies because Metro Vancouver is split up by 23 different municipalities.

Jesus Christ, guys.

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quoti.../t001b-eng.htm

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Also yeah Montreal is closer to dropping to third than competing with Toronto.

Montreal isn't even close to competing with Toronto (anymore), but if oil and gas rebound it's actually Vancouver that might be passed by Calgary eventually. That's where the most likely switch of places might occur. (And Alberta might also pass BC.)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by TownGuy

You gotta be a little delusional if you think a legacy roll, whatever it is, pulls it even with a provincial capital that makes direct decisions for a province containing over 1/3 of Canadians and the far reaching effects that has for the rest of the country. Oh and is also the largest city in the country to boot.

Stuff like a long historic legacy of dominating national politics does matter. Montreal is also an intensely politicized city whereas Toronto is far less so and is more preoccupied with other matters.

Montreal is also closer to Ottawa in addition to being much more bilingual which also make Montrealers more natural "fits" for federal politics.

Where are all the PMs from Toronto over the past 50 years? The last true Torontonian to live at 24 Sussex was Lester B. Pearson.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Jesus Christ, guys.

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quoti.../t001b-eng.htm

No need for the attitude. That doesn't provide much, and is four years old.

Originally Posted by Acajack

Montreal isn't even close to competing with Toronto (anymore), but if oil and gas rebound it's actually Vancouver that might be passed by Calgary eventually. That's where the most likely switch of places might occur. (And Alberta might also pass BC.)

Only if Vancouver housing crashes and oil rebounds. Metro Vancouver is nearly the size of Edmonton and Calgary combined.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Pinion

No need for the attitude. That doesn't provide much, and is four years old.

.

You mean to tell me that you think Vancouver's metro GDP has jumped by 70B in 4 years and Montreal's has stayed the same?

[Pinion]

I never said I think Vancouver's economy was bigger than Montreal's. I said Montreal was second.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Pinion

No need for the attitude. .

As I said, I am open to differing views but I have a low tolerance level for silliness.

Quebec is posting some of the best economic numbers in the country right now. But it would be silliness to claim that this makes us overtaking Ontario (even a remote) possibility at any point in the future.

Vancouver passing Montreal is similar silliness.