Introduction
Ontario plays a critical role in Canada’s social and economic well-being. The region provides numerous opportunities that individuals from across the world find highly attractive. However, its position as one of Canada’s economic hubs makes it more susceptible to global economic pressures.
For instance, Ontario’s restaurant reservations fell considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic (Casares, Gomme, & Khan, 2022). The aforementioned fact notwithstanding, Ontario’s economic activities and natural features have shaped Canada’s population and economic landscapes. A comprehensive assessment of the region is necessary to contextualize the challenges it faces, potential solutions, and its contributions to Canada’s overall economic state.
Dominant Economic Activity: The Automotive Sector
The automobile industry has played a significant role in the growth and development of Ontario’s economy. The industry consists of vehicle assembly and parts manufacturing activities. In Southern Ontario, fabricating firms are tasked with the production of rubber, plastic, steel, aluminum, and glass components that are used in vehicle assembly plants in Canada and the United States (Bone, 2018).
In addition, service firms in the region manage the finished vehicles through advertising, marketing, and sales strategies. The automobile industry employed an estimated 100,000 individuals between 1999 and 2005, after which the number fell to 60,000 by 2014 (Bone, 2018). Despite the highlighted decline, the industry is recovering as more automakers seek to establish themselves in the region.
Ontario is particularly attractive to global car manufacturers because of its ideal location. Companies that are focused on capturing the North American market are working to establish themselves in the region. For instance, Toyota and Honda have dedicated significant resources to the expansion of their Ontario manufacturing plants because of the increased desirability of their vehicles in the United States (Bone, 2018). The fact that Ontario provides easy access to the U.S. market, has a surplus of labor, and offers both federal and provincial support to manufacturers makes it an ideal environment for vehicle manufacturers (Bone, 2018). The distribution of automobile assembly centers in the region is highlighted in Figure 1 below.
Overview of Natural Features
Ontario’s natural features play a critical role in the lives of the people who reside in the region. The region spans an estimated 1 million square kilometers and includes three of Canada’s main physiographic regions: the Great Lakes, the Hudson Bay Lowlands, and the Canadian Shield (Bone, 2018). It also includes three distinct climatic zones, which include the Great Lakes, the Subarctic, and the Arctic (Bone, 2018). It is worth noting that Ontario’s central location and proximity to America’s industrial complex have contributed to its economic development.
Ontario’s natural features are quite diverse, thus prompting its division into distinct sub-regions. As a result, North Ontario includes the Hudson Bay and the Canadian Shield, whereas Southern Ontario is characterized by the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Lowlands (Bone, 2018). Each of the highlighted regions has a primary economic activity.
The North is often viewed as a resource hinterland, and the South prides itself on being an agricultural-industrial powerhouse (Bone, 2018). Northern Ontario is unsuitable for agriculture, seeing as its short summers increase vulnerability to frost damage, while there is very little arable land in the Hudson Bay Lowlands and the Canadian Shield. Southern Ontario’s moderate continental climate, thanks in part to weather modified by the Great Lakes, makes the region ideal for agriculture (Bone, 2018). The region’s natural features contribute significantly to the economic activities in which residents in the area engage.
Population Density
Statistical evidence indicates that Ontario is one of Canada’s most densely populated regions. The 2021 census pegged Ontario’s total population at 14,223,942, which indicated a 5.8% increase compared to 2016 (Statistics Canada, 2023). The region’s population density per square kilometer was recorded as 15.9 (Statistics Canada, 2023).
15.8% of the total population was aged between 0 and 14 years, 65.6% was between the ages of 15 and 64 years, and 18.5% of the population was older than 65 years (Statistics Canada, 2023). Estimates indicate that the population of Ontario is likely to surpass the 20.4 million mark by 2046 (Prepare for Canada, 2022). The projected growth is a deal, given the increasing need for labor.
Ontario has experienced a boom in its population in the recent past. It is worth noting that there has been a significant increase in the region’s population since 2001 as a result of immigration. The highest degree of growth has been seen in Southern Ontario in a region dubbed the Golden Horseshoe. It spans the length of the shores of Lake Ontario all the way from Oshawa to St. Catharines, including the City of Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area (Prepare for Canada, 2022). Individuals and families from more than 150 countries are choosing Ontario to settle (Prepare for Canada, 2022). Ontario is appealing to immigrants because it provides numerous desirable prospects for a decent living. The region’s robust manufacturing and agricultural sectors provide ample opportunities for meaningful employment.
Core and Periphery Areas
The core/periphery theory provides a critical framework through which the economic relationships in Ontario can be contextualized. The model proposed by Friedmann involves the expansion of the periphery regions from one to three (Bone, 2018). According to Friedman’s core-periphery four-stage regional development model, a region’s economy progresses through “pre-industrial, transitional, industrial, and post-industrial stages,” each of which results in a series of regional population changes (Yang, Ou, & Zhu, 2023, p. 13). The region’s industrial sectors have had an immense impact, as demonstrated in Table 1 below. The evidence to support the immense growth seen in Ontario is clear in the region’s population distribution and overall impact on the Canadian economy.
Southern Ontario is largely viewed as the region’s core, given the fact that it is one of Canada’s most industrialized and urbanized areas. It is estimated that in 2016, 13 million people, which represented 93% of the area’s population, lived in Southern Ontario (Bone, 2018). Southern Ontario’s urban amenities provide numerous economic advantages to firms and other organizations.
The Golden Horseshoe, located in Southern Ontario, is the most densely populated region of Canada (Bone, 2018). It is home to an estimated 8 million Canadians, as well as a large population of tourists and businesspeople. The area supports Canada’s automotive hub as well as various heavy industries (Bone, 2018). The region’s increased industrial activity, coupled with booming business, has made it especially attractive to immigrants. The high demand for labor makes the area ideal for settlement.
Table 1 – Ontario Industrial Sectors by Number of Workers, 2005 and 2016
Source: Adapted from Bone (2018), p. 190.
Bone’s Faultline: New Canadians and Those Born in Canada
Tensions exist between new Canadians and those who were born in the country. Ontario’s approach to immigration and integration policies has been largely influenced by the large number of immigrants residing in the province (Gagnon & Larios, 2021). The province is primarily focused on promoting social cohesion and maximizing economic benefits from the presence of newcomers (Gagnon & Larios, 2021).
It is vital to note that the conflict between new and resident Canadians often centers on access to settlement services, especially in Southern Ontario (Robichaud, Haq, Takouda, & Albert, 2022). Other areas of conflict include access to transportation services and the lack of small, established ethnic communities that facilitate the settlement of newcomers (Robichaud et al., 2022). The federal and provincial governments have instituted measures to help address the situation. These include policies that prioritize multiculturalism and promote peaceful coexistence.
The Bone Faultline, defining interactions between new and resident Canadians, is active. This is because the policies that define and prioritize multiculturalism have been moderately effective. For instance, in 2020, more than 9000 parents signed a petition urging the Ontario school board to keep children whose relatives had traveled to China at home for 17 days (Lee & Johnstone, 2021).
The increase in anti-Asian sentiment occasioned by the pandemic is evidence that the fault line is likely to persist, even after ten years. The conflict between new Canadians and their resident counterparts is likely to persist because the high influx of immigrants is likely to strain Ontario’s social services and eventually result in a decline of viable opportunities, as has been witnessed in a variety of thriving economies such as the United States.
Immigration Challenges
Even though immigration is touted as a solution to Ontario’s labor shortages, it brings significant changes for new arrivals and resident Canadians alike. It is worth considering that, for newcomers, precarious immigration is inextricably tied to reduced access to social support systems and meaningful employment (Dennler, 2020). As a result, the affected individuals have a limited capacity to address their physical, social, and emotional needs while in a new country (Dennler, 2020).
It should be noted that the aforementioned individuals often find alternative ways to feel a sense of belonging and to exercise their autonomy. The strategies they adopt are often not sanctioned by immigration law. The affected individuals’ attempts to create spaces where they feel secure may conflict with the dominant culture, thereby precipitating conflict.
The immigration challenge is a vital factor to consider for people living in Ontario. If left unaddressed, the region could experience a spike in criminal activity as illegal entry rates increase over the next 10 years. The inevitable reduction in available opportunities due to shifting global conditions could increase competition in the labor market. The inevitable result will be an increase in hate crimes and a decline in security.
The first strategy to address the challenge is to intensify the implementation of multicultural policies. Each individual must appreciate other people’s diversity and cultural heritage. The second strategy is to liberalize immigration policy to reduce the frequency of precarious immigration status. Increased access to social and economic amenities for immigrants is vital to reducing the incidence of conflict.
Conclusion
Ontario makes significant contributions to Canada’s economic and social growth. Its natural features support agriculture and heavy industry, while its attractive living and work conditions boost the country’s labor and economic sectors. The region’s population diversity, driven by immigration, facilitates interaction among varied cultures and people. There are, however, some challenges occasioned by the high influx of foreign nationals, such as limited access to social amenities and employment opportunities. The highlighted drawbacks notwithstanding, Ontario provides an environment in which individuals and corporations can thrive and contribute to Canada’s growth.
References
Bone, R. M. (2018). The regional geography of Canada (7th ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University
Casares, M., Gomme, P., & Khan, H. (2022). COVID-19 pandemic and economic scenarios for Ontario. Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue Canadienne d’économique, 55(S1), 503–539.
Dennler, K. T. (2020). Challenging un-belonging and undesirability: How acts of autonomy transform everyday realities of living with precarious immigration status in Toronto, Canada. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 19(2), 501–518.
Gagnon, A., & Larios, L. (2021). The politicization of immigration and integration at the subnational level: Electoral campaigns in Ontario and Quebec. Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue Canadienne de Science Politique, 54(3), 696–716.
Lee, E., & Johnstone, M. (2021). Lest we forget: Politics of multiculturalism in Canada revisited during COVID-19. Critical Sociology, 47(4–5), 671–685.
Prepare for Canada. (2022). Ontario, Canada: Population, cities, economy & culture.
Robichaud, Y., Haq, R., Takouda, P. M., & Albert, S. (2022). Labor market barriers for internationally trained immigrants in Northern Ontario. Asia-Pacific Journal of Canadian Studies, 28(1), 53–70.
Statistics Canada. (2023). Census profile, 2021 census of population: Ontario.
Yang, Z., Ou, X., & Zhu, H. (2023). Population dynamics and its driving forces in China from 2000 to 2020. Sustainability, 15(12), 1–17.