What are the largest Canadian cities you've never been to/heard of?

[Declan]

@xnylder

That is absolutely shocking. It’s hard to believe that in such a major population center in Quebec, you can’t get adequate university education in French. And it fell to Hydro-Quebec of all groups to improve matters… To think our Montreal and Sherbrooke students are protesting over universities unfreezing tuition for the first time in years. They’ve got nothing to complain about compared to that. Consider my ignorance on the issue fought.

Pardon my ignorance , but is this historically speaking recent. Depending on what I read , most people that were at univercity level gravitated to France for schooling beyond a certain point.

Declan

[matt_mcl]

@severus

I remember a high-profile Parti québécois MNA complaining about Hydro-Québec making a $150,000 donation to the civil law section of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa. A militant (and former president) of her own party in Outaouais had to write a letter in the media (see Le Devoir of March 7, 2006, sorry I can’t link it here) pointing out that 90 % of civil law students at the U of O are from Quebec, and it’s the only such program available in the region, so if it’s our goal to develop our regions, this donation is necessary.

Sounds like the Bloc voting against the NDP’s bill to ban pesticides on the grounds that Quebec had a pesticide ban that worked just fine… apparently believing that pesticide residues in the St. Lawrence River obediently cease to exist when they reach the Quebec border.

[Hypnagogic_Jerk]

@Declan

Pardon my ignorance , but is this historically speaking recent. Depending on what I read , most people that were at univercity level gravitated to France for schooling beyond a certain point.

I guess so (France and US, probably), but that was then and this is now. And given that developing Quebec’s regions is something that everyone agrees on, providing them with good universities is a necessity.

@matt_mcl

Sounds like the Bloc voting against the NDP’s bill to ban pesticides on the grounds that Quebec had a pesticide ban that worked just fine… apparently believing that pesticide residues in the St. Lawrence River obediently cease to exist when they reach the Quebec border.

Now that’s surprising, especially since the Bloc has been working to introduce a federal anti-scab law pretty much ever since they’ve existed. (And the NDP certainly agrees with them on that.) Do you have a cite for this? (Not that I’m doubting you, but I want to read up on this myself.)

But I don’t think it’s the same thing. In the Hydro-Québec case, I think the PQ deputy in question simply wasn’t aware that the University of Ottawa serves a large number of Quebec students. Or rather that’s what I’m hoping for. More likely she just didn’t care and thought Hydro-Québec should fund other Quebec universities instead since they’re closer to her and she cares about them, while the Quebec students at the University of Ottawa are pretty far in most people’s minds. (In the case of your pesticide ban example, I can’t figure out why the Bloc would vote against it unless it involved taking money from someplace else that the Bloc considers important.)

[matt_mcl]

@severus

Now that’s surprising, especially since the Bloc has been working to introduce a federal anti-scab law pretty much ever since they’ve existed. (And the NDP certainly agrees with them on that.) Do you have a cite for this? (Not that I’m doubting you, but I want to read up on this myself.)

Here’s the debate on the pesticide bill: Hansard, May 16, 2006. Note the comments of Christine Gagnon and Bernard Bigras.

[cherry]

I haven’t been to any of the provinical capitals except Toronto. Vancouver, Ottawa as well. I haven’t heard of Drummondville, Quebec.

[cmkeller]

Never been to Ottawa (#4), but I’ve been to all others in the top 9.

[Cyros]

Largest never been too is Hamilton (9)

Largest never heard of (only never heard of actually) is Kawartha Lakes (48).

Working for Purolator Courier really added to the number of places I’ve heard of.

[The_Flying_Dutchman]

Largest I’ve never been to is St. John’s , NFLD

Largest I think I never heard of is Saguenay, Quebec.

Its amazing how many Quebec cities I never heard of though.

[Vision_of_Love]

How about Mississauga? I live here and it’s supposedly the sixth-largest Canadian city but it’s never in the news.

We’re a mostly residential city (lots of condos near the city core), it doesn’t really have a true downtown area (our 86-year old female mayor feels it keeps crime to a low), and we are the largest city in Canada without a daily paper.

Mississauga

There’s also farmland with grazing cows just minutes from our city hall. Charming, no? And in the next few years the Absolute Tower is set to make a mark on our skyline.

[gonzomax]

I have been to Toronto several times. Niagra Falls several times. I have visited Hamilton. London and Oshawa. Wheres Windsor? I have been there many times.

[Declan]

@Vision of Love

How about Mississauga? I live here and it’s supposedly the sixth-largest Canadian city but it’s never in the news.

Mainly because its a continous part of the GTA regardless if its a separate city in its own right.

But ya got Hazel, and not that doofus down in Toronto

Declan

[matt_mcl]

@The Flying Dutchman

Largest I’ve never been to is St. John’s , NFLD

Largest I think I never heard of is Saguenay, Quebec.

You may have heard of Chicoutimi and Jonquière, which were among the cities that amalgamated to create Saguenay.

[RickJay]

@matt_mcl

Sounds like the Bloc voting against the NDP’s bill to ban pesticides on the grounds that Quebec had a pesticide ban that worked just fine… apparently believing that pesticide residues in the St. Lawrence River obediently cease to exist when they reach the Quebec border.

Were they going to ban all pesticides? Really? What do you do if you get ants in your house, ask them to leave?

[matt_mcl]

@RickJay

Were they going to ban all pesticides? Really? What do you do if you get ants in your house, ask them to leave?

The text of the bill is in the Hansard I linked to above, RickJay. I attract your attention to paragraph c.

[Dunderman]

Never been to Canada. The largest one I never heard of is St. Catharines-Niagara (12). I have obviously heard of Niagara, so if that counts the next one is Oshawa (14).

[Dead_Cat]

Never been to Canada, and I don’t think I knew that Quebec was a city as well as a province.

[RickJay]

@matt_mcl

Here’s the debate on the pesticide bill: Hansard, May 16, 2006. Note the comments of Christine Gagnon and Bernard Bigras.

So their motion was to ban the use of pesticides except in pretty much any circumstance where you might want to use pesticides. Well, I admit it’s not quite as concerning as I thought.

[Eonwe]

I’ve been to #1 and #2 numerous times (Toronto and Montreal).

I’ve also been to #4 (Ottawa; went there with the OP, actually), #7 (Quebec City), and #9 (Hamilton).

[Eonwe]

Oh, I should add that were it not for Dopers, the only cities I would have been to in Canada are Montreal and Quebec City.