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110-859: The core area of Southern Ontario is part of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor , which extends northeast into southern Quebec . The transitional northern area of this primary region extends north to the Mattawa River and occupies part of the Grenville Geological Province of the Canadian Shield , which also extends northeast into southern Quebec; most of Northern Ontario lies within the Superior Geological Province . Southern Ontario can be distinguished from Northern Ontario because it

220-700: A "metro area", the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), roughly bundles together population figures from the core municipality with those from "commuter" municipalities. Note: A city's metropolitan area may actually be larger than its CMA. For example; Oshawa is part of the Greater Toronto Area ; however, it is considered its own CMA. The region is broken up into 40 census divisions , including 22 counties , eight regional municipalities , nine single-tier municipalities and depending on its inclusion, one district . The line between

330-559: A commuter train system called the GO Train , which is supplemented by a network of bus services. There are several major international airports, including the busiest airport in the country, Toronto Pearson International Airport (ranked 15th busiest worldwide by flights in 2014), Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport , John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport , London International Airport , and Region of Waterloo International Airport . Many Southern Ontarians living close to

440-697: A former thriving Factory Belt into a Rust Belt as a part of a bigger transitional trend that he called the Great Disruption : "People associate the information age with the advent of the Internet in the 1990s, but the shift from the industrial era started more than a generation earlier, with the deindustrialization of the Rust Belt in the United States and comparable movements away from manufacturing in other industrialized countries. … The decline

550-529: A general tariff rate of 25% on all Chinese products to halt the deindustrialization of the United States and the offshoring of American industries and factories to China. Paul Krugman notes: “There is no doubt that increased imports, particularly from China, have reduced manufacturing employment..., the complete elimination of the U.S. manufacturing trade deficit would add about two million manufacturing jobs. In 2010, he expects Chinese surpluses to destroy 1.4 million American jobs by 2011. He therefore proposes taxing

660-536: A growing trend of reshoring , or inshoring , of manufacturing when a growing number of American companies were moving their production facilities from overseas back home. Rust Belt states can ultimately benefit from this process of international insourcing . There have also been attempts to reinvent properties in the Rust Belt in order to reverse its economic decline. Buildings with compartmentalization unsuitable for today's uses were acquired and renewed to facilitate new businesses. These business activities suggest that

770-401: A left-leaning think tank, has claimed that free trade created a large trade deficit in the United States for decades which lead to the closure of many factories and cost the United States millions of jobs in the manufacturing sector. Trade deficits lead to significant wage losses, not only for workers in the manufacturing sector, but also for all workers throughout the economy who do not have

880-506: A score of successful business ventures in Akron resides in the refurbished B.F. Goodrich tire factory. Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing , creates another promising avenue for the manufacturing resurgence. Such companies as MakerGear from Beachwood, Ohio , or ExOne Company from North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania , are designing and manufacturing industrial and consumer products using 3-D imaging systems. In 2013, The Economist reported

990-585: A service and knowledge economy. Toronto is home to the country's financial sector, including the major Canadian banks and Toronto Stock Exchange . Ottawa, the national capital, is home to the Government of Canada and most government departments and agencies, in addition to having a strong technology sector. Some parts of Southern Ontario are heavily entwined with bordering cities in New York and Michigan in terms of industry and people. The focus areas are

1100-493: A university degree. For example, in 2011, 100 million full-time, full-year workers without a university degree suffered an average loss of $ 1,800 (~$ 2,438 in 2023) on their annual salary. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the workers who lost their jobs in the manufacturing sector and who have to accept a reduction in their wages to find work in other sectors, are creating competition, that reduces

1210-606: A very important advantage in international trade. In addition, industrial jobs lost by imports from China are significantly better paid than jobs created by exports to China. So even if imports were equal to exports, workers would still lose out on their wages. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the manufacturing sector is a sector with very high productivity growth, which promotes high wages and good benefits for its workers. Indeed, this sector accounts for more than two thirds of private sector research and development and employs more than twice as many scientists and engineers as

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1320-518: A very important driver of economic growth. Paul Krugman notes that free trade leads to trade deficits, deindustrialization and lower real wages for less-educated workers due to competition from low-cost imports. Indeed, wages are falling more than import prices, and the problem is getting worse as trade with low-wage countries becomes more frequent. He also notes that free trade has a significant effect on deindustrialization and income inequality in developed countries. In 2010, Paul Krugman called for

1430-528: Is Canada's most populated area. Toronto is notable for its multiculturalism and cosmopolitan nature: Southern Ontario also features in the literary genre of Southern Ontario Gothic , a major strand in Canadian literature. Southern Ontario has a highly developed transport system, including many highways , airports, ports, trains, and buses. The freeway system in Southern Ontario is referred to as

1540-519: Is a large facility near Montreal that is mainly used for cargo flights but is also home to medical evacuation and general aviation flights. Inside the corridor, the busiest area of travel is the Toronto–Ottawa–Montreal triangle. There are roughly 108 flights within the Toronto–Ottawa–Montreal triangle every work day, making it the busiest air route in Canada and 15th busiest air route in

1650-419: Is a major vineyard region and producer of Canadian wines . While Southern Ontario has been a part of the province of Ontario since its establishment at Confederation in 1867, previously forming the colony of Upper Canada, a large portion of Northern Ontario did not become part of Ontario until 1912. The French explored and colonized Territorial Southern Ontario in the 17th century and forged relations with

1760-477: Is attributable to an area's shrinking industrial sector. The term gained popularity in the U.S. beginning in the 1980s when it was commonly contrasted with the Sun Belt , which was then surging. Common definitions of the region stretch from Upstate New York and western Pennsylvania to southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois , including large parts of Ohio , Indiana , and Michigan . Some definitions of

1870-411: Is far more densely populated and contains most of the province's cities, major roads, and institutions. Northern Ontario, in contrast, contains more natural resources and remote wilderness. Although it has no saltwater coastline, the region has an abundance of freshwater coastlines on three Great Lakes ( Huron , Erie and Ontario ), as well as smaller lakes such as Lake Simcoe and Lake St. Clair . It

1980-999: Is home to several professional sports teams, including the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL ; the Toronto Blue Jays in Major League Baseball ; the NBA's Toronto Raptors ; soccer's Toronto FC in MLS and Atlético Ottawa in the Canadian Premier League ; and three teams in the Canadian Football League —the Hamilton Tiger-Cats , Ottawa Redblacks , and Toronto Argonauts . The region also hosts

2090-986: Is indeed the loser of globalization or free trade" (the diminution of international trade regulations as well as tariffs, taxes) and "China, with its large emerging middle class, is among the big beneficiaries of globalization". "Thanks to globalization, in terms of purchasing-power parity, China actually has already become the largest economy in the world in September 2015". Studies by David Autor, David Dorn and Gordon Hanson show that free trade with China cost Americans around one million manufacturing workers between 1991 and 2007.Competition from Chinese imports has led to manufacturing job losses and declining wages. They also found that offsetting job gains in other industries never materialized. Closed companies no longer order goods and services from local non-manufacturing firms and former industrial workers may be unemployed for years or permanently. Increased import exposure reduces wages in

2200-536: Is not uncommon in the region. In the summer months, Southern Ontario is susceptible to tornadoes but far more often, straight line wind damage, hail and localized flooding from severe thunderstorms. Although the majority of tornadoes rarely cause excessive damage, the region is on the periphery of Tornado Alley and (F4) tornadoes touchdown every few decades, causing widespread damage. Southern Ontario also gets hurricane remnants, floods , ice storms , heavy fog , hail , and blizzards . Small earthquakes occur in

2310-464: Is now again well known around the world as a center of polymer research with four hundred polymer-related manufacturing and distribution companies operating in the area. The turnaround was accomplished in part by a partnership between Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company , which chose to stay, the University of Akron , and the city mayor's office. The Akron Global Business Accelerator that jump-started

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2420-704: Is now also considered part of the corridor. The construction of the Saint Lawrence Seaway during the late 1950s made it possible for some ocean-going vessels to travel the full length of the corridor and beyond to the upper Great Lakes, but resulted in the destruction of several villages in the Eastern Ontario portion of the corridor. The corridor is held together by a series of major transportation routes – water, road, rail, and air — all running close together and sometimes overlapping each other. These routes are anchored by Ontario Highway 401 ,

2530-456: Is possible to observe the frequent change from limestone to granite in rockcuts along the way. There are, however, several wider areas of flat farmland, including the southwestern Ontario Peninsula between Lake Huron and Lake Erie (which makes up the western third of the corridor), the eastern Ontario delta from Ottawa to the junction of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers at Montreal , and

2640-676: Is readily measurable in statistics on crime, fatherless children, broken trust, reduced opportunities for and outcomes from education, and the like". Problems associated with the Rust Belt persist even today, particularly around the eastern Great Lakes states, and many once-booming manufacturing metropolises dramatically slowed down. From 1970 to 2006, Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh lost about 45% of their population and median household incomes fell: in Cleveland and Detroit by about 30%, in Buffalo by 20%, and Pittsburgh by 10%. During

2750-503: Is the economic, social, and population decline facing the fictional Western Pennsylvanian town of Buell, itself brought about by thorough de-industrialization typical of the region. The 21st century evolution of this region of the U.S. is also depicted through the fictional town of New Canaan, Ohio, in Stephen Markley 's 2018 bestseller novel, Ohio . The town is described through both the teenage glamour of high school lens in

2860-572: Is the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes, where the series of channels and locks that make up the St. Lawrence Seaway allow ocean-going vessels and lake freighters to travel the entire length of the corridor. 44°20′N 77°05′W  /  44.34°N 77.08°W  / 44.34; -77.08 Rust Belt The Rust Belt , formerly the Steel Belt , is an area of industrial decline in

2970-455: Is the most distorted exchange rate policy any major nation has ever followed”. He notes that an undervalued renminbi is tantamount to high tariffs or export subsidies. A cheaper currency improves employment and competitiveness, as it makes imports more expensive while making domestic products more attractive. In 1999, Francis Fukuyama wrote that the social and cultural consequences of deindustrialization and manufacturing decline that turned

3080-433: Is the subject of the popular Billy Joel song, " Allentown ," originally released on The Nylon Curtain album in 1982. The song uses Allentown as a metaphor for the resilience of working class Americans in distressed industrial cities during the recession of the early 1980s. The Rust Belt is the setting for Philipp Meyer's 2009 novel American Rust and its 2021 television adaptation . A core plot device of both

3190-427: Is used to refer to a set of economic and social conditions rather than to an overall geographical region of the U.S., the Rust Belt has no precise boundaries. The extent to which a community may have been described as a "Rust Belt city" depends on how great a role industrial manufacturing played in its local economy in the past and how it does now, as well as on perceptions of the economic viability and living standards of

3300-591: The Corridor , the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor is the busiest portion of the Via system, accounting for the majority of Canada's intercity passenger trains and ridership. About 67% of Via Rail's total revenue is earned on the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. Prior to Via's formation in 1978, both CN and CP operated Corridor services. Other inter-city trains from outside the region originate and terminate at cities in

3410-460: The Buffalo–Niagara , Sarnia and Detroit–Windsor . Many people work and live on opposite sides of the border. The NEXUS program for frequent travelers across the border is increasing in popularity among bordering communities. Other areas with heavy trade traffic with Southern Ontario include Montreal and the province of Quebec , parts of northern Ohio , and western Pennsylvania . Most of

Southern Ontario - Misplaced Pages Continue

3520-614: The Canadian Museum of History and the Royal Ontario Museum . Niagara Falls is the 6th most visited attraction by domestic and international tourists worldwide, with over 14 million tourists annually. In 2006, Toronto was the 14th most visited city by international tourists in the world, with over 4.1 million visitors in the year. Ottawa is the most visited city in Canada by domestic tourists, hosting over 6.9 million Canadian visitors per year. Southern Ontario

3630-739: The Canadian Open in golf and Rogers Cup in tennis. The area sponsors many internationally renowned festivals and events, including Toronto International Film Festival , Winterlude , Caribana , Bluesfest , Pride Week , Kitchener Oktoberfest , Havelock Jamboree , Toronto Indy , Sarnia Bayfest , Canada Day in Ottawa, International Freedom Festival in Windsor , Stratford Festival , Shaw Festival and Virgin Festival . Several large legal gambling establishments have been built throughout

3740-538: The Canadian Shield to the north and the Appalachian Mountains or the Great Lakes to the south. A drive of only a few minutes north from cities or towns along the eastern two-thirds of the corridor will show an abrupt change from flat farmland and limestone bedrock to the granite hills of the shield. The highways in this part of the corridor often run right on the boundary of the shield, and it

3850-529: The E. C. Row Expressway . Southern Ontario also has several border crossings with the United States. The Ambassador Bridge , Detroit–Windsor Tunnel , and Blue Water Bridge connect the region with the U.S. state of Michigan , while the Peace Bridge , Rainbow Bridge , Whirlpool Rapids Bridge , Lewiston–Queenston Bridge , Thousand Islands Bridge , Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge , and Seaway International Bridge link Southern Ontario with

3960-646: The Eastern Townships southeast of Montreal. There is also a minor Great Lakes corridor of stratified limestone called the Niagara Escarpment . Because of the moderating influence of the Great Lakes and the frequent influx of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico , the corridor—particularly the western half—has a markedly warmer climate than the rest of Quebec and Ontario. The rich soil and

4070-535: The French colonization , this area of New France was named Canada and was a single administrative unit under the governor-general (with regional deputy governors in some cities). However, only the eastern third of the corridor, from Quebec City to Montreal, was heavily settled. The major cross-country route used by voyageurs in the fur trade continued west from Montreal through the Canadian Shield along

4180-599: The Great Lakes . The Niagara Escarpment offers hiking, skiing, and hundreds of waterfalls, including Niagara Falls . The Ottawa River has white-water rafting which attracts rafters and kayakers from all over the world. Ontario Parks governs all provincial parks, and Parks Canada governs all national parks . Southern Ontario is home to both Canada's capital city (Ottawa), and Canada's largest city (Toronto). Southern Ontario communities have 13 telephone area codes : 226, 249, 289, 343, 365, 382, 416, 437, 519, 548, 613, 647, 705, and 905. Statistics Canada's measure of

4290-669: The Great Migration who were drawn by jobs and better economic opportunity. Following several "boom" periods from the late-19th to the mid-20th century , cities in this area struggled to adapt to a variety of adverse economic and social conditions. From 1979 to 1982, known as the Volcker shock , the U.S. Federal Reserve decided to raise the base interest rate in the United States to 19%. High-interest rates attracted wealthy foreign "hot money" into U.S. banks and caused

4400-478: The Greater Toronto Area . The area has a large manufacturing sector. Since the mid-2000s, Ontario has produced more vehicles per year than the state of Michigan . In a cross-border definition, a swath of Southern Ontario could be considered a part of the Rust Belt . Factory closings because of industry restructuring and globalization (corresponding movement of jobs overseas and to non-unionized labour markets in

4510-918: The King's highways system, or the 400 series highways . The freeways are digitally monitored by the Ministry of Transportation (Ontario) using the COMPASS-Freeway Traffic Management System With the long-awaited upgrade of Highway 406, all the freeways in Ontario are at least 4 lanes wide, fully controlled with interchanges and divided. The major freeways are 400 , 401 , 402 , 403 , 404 , 405 , 406 , 407 (Toll) , 409 , 410 , 412 , 416 , 417 , 418 , 420 , 427 , Don Valley Parkway , Gardiner Expressway , Queen Elizabeth Way , Queensway , Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway , Red Hill Valley Parkway , Conestoga Parkway , and

Southern Ontario - Misplaced Pages Continue

4620-629: The Michigan or New York State borders use either Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport or Buffalo Niagara International Airport as their local airport. Southern Ontario has a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons. The average highs in July for the region range between 25 and 29 °C (77 and 84 °F). The average high in January ranges from −6 to 0 °C (21 to 32 °F). The highest recorded temperature in Southern Ontario

4730-568: The National Robotics Engineering Center and Robotics Institute , Aethon Inc., American Robot Corporation, Automatika , Quantapoint , Blue Belt Technologies, and Seegrid are creating state-of-the-art robotic technology applications. Akron , a former "Rubber Capital of the World" that lost 35,000 jobs after major tire and rubber manufacturers Goodrich , Firestone , and General Tire closed their production lines,

4840-591: The Ottawa Valley to Lake Nipissing and Georgian Bay , passing far to the north of what would later become the Ontario part of the corridor. The lack of good farmland made that route unsuitable for settlement, however, and the frequent portages made transportation in boats larger than canoes difficult. During the North American part of the Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France,

4950-650: The Seven Years' War , the British wrested control of Southern Ontario, and more significant colonization efforts were spurred on by the arrival of United Empire Loyalists brought on by the American Revolution . Southern Ontario was where a large portion of the battles took place during the War of 1812 , and was a major destination for escaping slaves using the Underground Railroad . Following

5060-460: The U.S. dollar to appreciate. This made U.S. products more expensive for foreigners to buy and also made imports much cheaper for Americans to purchase. The misaligned exchange rate was not rectified until 1986, by which time Japanese imports, in particular, had made rapid inroads into U.S. markets. From 1987 to 1999, the U.S. stock market went into a stratospheric rise, and this continued to pull wealthy foreign money into U.S. banks, which biased

5170-452: The United States . From the late 19th century to late 20th century, the region formed the industrial heartland of the country, with its economies largely based on automobile and steel production , coal mining , and processing of raw materials . The term "Rust Belt" is a dysphemism to describe an industry that has " rusted out", referring to the impact of deindustrialization , economic decline , population loss , and urban decay which

5280-586: The Windsor , Sarnia area. Major regional ports include the Port of Hamilton and Port of Windsor, with smaller ports in Oshawa , Toronto , Goderich and Sarnia. Southern Ontario also has thousands of other freshwater lakes and rivers, as well as the Trent-Severn Waterway and Rideau Canal . Inter-city train service in the region is provided mainly by Via Rail . The Greater Toronto area also has

5390-704: The Wyandot Huron people, based around the Georgian Bay/Lake Simcoe area. Other Iroquoian speaking people to the south were the Petun and Neutral Nation , and further northeast, Algonquins inhabited the upper Ottawa River/Madawaska Valley areas and the Mississaugas moved south from northern Lake Huron, settling lands in both the Kawartha region and just west of Toronto. Following

5500-665: The service sector when the economy recovered. In 1984, an incremental expansion of the U.S. trade deficit with China began combined with growing trade deficits with Japan , South Korea , and Taiwan . As a result, the traditional manufacturing workers in the region have experienced economic upheaval. This effect has devastated government budgets across the U.S. and increased corporate borrowing to fund retiree benefits. Some economists believe that GDP and employment can be dragged down by large long-run trade deficits. In early 2017, Joseph Stiglitz wrote that "the American middle class

5610-407: The tulip tree , pawpaw fruit tree, and the cucumber tree . The Carolinian forests of Southern Ontario have in large part been destroyed by development sprawl. Very few original growth areas remain. The region has the most freshwater beaches in the nation. With relatively warm waters by mid-summer due to the hot and humid summer months with significant coastlines of white sand, the major beaches in

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5720-512: The 1960s, the expansion of worldwide free trade agreements have been less favorable to U.S. workers. Imported goods such as steel cost much less to produce in Third World countries with cheap foreign labor (see steel crisis ). The introduction of pollution regulation in the late 1960's, combined with rapidly increasing U.S. energy costs (see 1970s energy crisis ) caused much U.S. heavy industry to begin moving to other countries. Beginning with

5830-553: The 1980s, presidential candidates have devoted much of their time to the economic concerns of the Rust Belt region, which includes several populous swing states , including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. These states were crucial to Donald Trump 's victories in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections , as well as his defeat by Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 . In the 20th century, local economies in these states specialized in large-scale manufacturing of finished medium to heavy industrial and consumer products, as well as

5940-700: The Corridor, such as Via's Canadian and Ocean . Amtrak offers two international inter-city passenger railway lines that starts in New York City with one that ends in Toronto and the other in Montreal , serving cities along the Corridor as well as in Upstate New York . There have been various proposals and studies for high-speed railway service between Quebec City and Windsor . Most of

6050-600: The Factory Belt with its manufacturing cities: Chicago, Buffalo, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Toledo, Cleveland, St. Louis, Youngstown, and Pittsburgh, among others. This region for decades served as a magnet for immigrants from Austria-Hungary , Poland , and Russia , as well as Yugoslavia , Italy , and the Levant in some areas, who provided the industrial facilities with inexpensive labor. These migrants drawn by labor were also accompanied by African Americans during

6160-446: The Great Lakes and Northern New York. At the center of this expanse lies an area stretching from northern Indiana and southern Michigan in the west to Upstate New York in the east, where local tax revenues as of 2004 relied more heavily on manufacturing than on any other sector. Prior to World War II , the cities in the Rust Belt region were among the largest in the U.S. However, by the 20th century's end their population had fallen

6270-687: The Province, with Caesars Windsor and Fallsview Casino being the two flagship casinos. In addition to casinos, Ontario has many legal horseracing facilities with slot machines . Racetrack slots are located throughout the Province. All gaming in the Province is overseen by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario . Southern Ontario has many natural attractions. Wasaga Beach , Grand Bend , Sauble Beach , and Sandbanks are beaches along

6380-463: The Quebec border, where it becomes Autoroute 20 and continues east through the Quebec part of the corridor to Quebec City. Highway 403 , which connects to the 401 at both of its ends, largely follows the route of Highway 2 between Woodstock and Toronto including through Hamilton and acts as another important main transportation artery. Highways 416 and 417 link Ottawa to Brockville on the 401 and Montreal on Autoroute 20. The oldest transportation route

6490-481: The Rust Belt also include parts of Iowa , Kentucky , Maryland , Minnesota , Missouri , New Jersey and West Virginia . Much of the Rust Belt is synonymous with the Great Lakes region of the United States. The Rust Belt experienced industrial decline starting in the 1950s and 1960s, with manufacturing peaking as a percentage of the U.S. GDP in 1953 and declining ever since. Demand for coal declined as industry turned to oil and natural gas , and American steel

6600-493: The Rust Belt include Baltimore , Buffalo , Chicago , Cincinnati , Cleveland , Detroit , Milwaukee , Philadelphia , Pittsburgh , Rochester , and St. Louis . New England was also hit hard by industrial decline, but cities closer to the East Coast , including in the Boston , New York , and Washington metropolitan areas , adapted by diversifying or transforming their economies to shift focus towards services , advanced manufacturing, and high-tech industries. Since

6710-438: The Rust Belt, including biotechnology , the polymer industry, infotech , and nanotech . Information technology is seen as representing an opportunity for the Rust Belt's revitalization. Among the successful recent examples is the Detroit Aircraft Corporation , which specializes in unmanned aerial systems integration, testing and aerial cinematography services. In Pittsburgh, robotics research centers and companies such as

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6820-423: The St. Lawrence River and lower Great Lakes, where good farm land was available and larger boats could be used for transportation. These people formed the English-speaking nucleus of what later became Ontario. By contrast, many of the Ontario towns along the old fur-trading and logging route to the north, through the Ottawa Valley and westward, still have significant French-speaking populations . Initially, Kingston

6930-415: The U.S. is borrowing to fund consumption of imports while accumulating unsustainable amounts of debt. On June 26, 2009, Jeff Immelt , CEO of General Electric , called for the U.S. to increase its manufacturing base employment to 20% of the workforce, commenting that the U.S. has outsourced too much in some areas and can no longer rely on the financial sector and consumer spending to drive demand. Since

7040-420: The U.S. state of New York . The region has a long history of marine transportation, with hundreds of millions of tonnes of cargo moving along the Great Lakes , and Saint Lawrence Seaway each year. The Welland Canal is a vital part of the Great Lakes Waterway , allowing ships to avoid Niagara Falls . The St. Clair River and Detroit River are also well travelled rivers between Lake Huron and Lake Erie in

7150-489: The United States) have for the past few decades taken their toll. This is most evident in the region's southern tier cities, which have large automobile or associated industrial bases, such as Windsor , London , St. Thomas and St. Catharines . Still affected by these factors, but to a lesser extent, is Hamilton , the centre of steel production, and Sarnia , the centre of petrochemical production. The province's two largest cities, Toronto and Ottawa, have moved increasingly to

7260-492: The airports along the corridor also have frequent charter flights like Air Transat and Sunwing to popular tourist destinations. Both the Canadian National Railway (CN) and the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) have extensive freight railway lines along the length of the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. Intercity passenger railway service is provided by Via Rail throughout the region, mostly using CN freight lines. Referred to in Via Rail's published timetables as simply

7370-412: The busiest highway in North America from Windsor leading into Quebec Autoroute 20 to Montreal and Quebec City. The major passenger airports along the corridor are Toronto Pearson International Airport , Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport , Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport , Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport , Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport , and

7480-408: The cities along the Great Lakes shores with then-unprecedented speed. Chicago was a rural trading post in the 1840s but grew to be as big as Paris by the time of the 1893 Columbian Exposition . Early signs of the difficulty in the northern states were evident early in the 20th century before the "boom years" were even over. Lowell, Massachusetts , once the center of textile production in the U.S.,

7590-413: The cities of the Ontario portion of the corridor were originally joined by Highway 2 (often known locally by names such as "Montreal Road," "Toronto Road," or "Kingston Road") following the routes of older stagecoach roads and the paths and trails that predated them. Highway 2 still forms the main street of many of the corridor's Ontario towns and cities (which were built around it), but large parts of

7700-492: The corridor. Similarly, more than 65% of Quebec's population lives in or close to Montreal and Quebec City. About half of Canada's total population live between Quebec City and Windsor. The three major census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in the Corridor are (populations as of 2021 ): The remaining census metropolitan areas along the corridor are: Other significant urban areas along the corridor include Chatham-Kent , Sarnia , Granby , Kawartha Lakes , and Cornwall . During

7810-523: The counties and regions of the south and the districts of the north can be considered a boundary between Southern and Northern Ontario. This is disputed, however, as the demarcation line that is referenced in provincial documents is the Nipissing Passageway, originally an Indian trail between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River . The trail follows the French River from Georgian Bay to Lake Nipissing . At North Bay , 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of land separates Lake Nipissing from Trout Lake. From Trout Lake,

7920-512: The creative class through arts and downtown renewal, encouraging the knowledge economy type of entrepreneurship, and other steps. This includes growing new industrial base with a pool of skilled labor, rebuilding the infrastructure and infrasystems, creating research and development-focused university-business partnerships, and close cooperation between central, state and local government, and business. New types of research and development-intensive nontraditional manufacturing have emerged recently in

8030-432: The dollar and has much lower prevailing wages, forcing domestic wages to drift downward. Some economists are concerned that long-run effects of high trade deficits and outsourcing are a cause of economic problems in the U.S. with high external debt (amount owed to foreign lenders) and a serious deterioration in the United States net international investment position (NIIP) (−24% of GDP). Some economists contend that

8140-466: The enactment of Prohibition in the United States in 1919, Southern Ontario immediately became a hotbed of smuggling alcohol (spirit) across the border. Southern Ontario is home to over 94%, or 12.1 million, of Ontario's total population of 12.9 million (and about 35% of Canada's total population), compared to approximately 750,000 in Northern Ontario. This is due to many factors, including

8250-523: The end of World War II, with the onset of the outward migration of residents to newer suburban communities, and the declining role of manufacturing in the American economy. Outsourcing of manufacturing jobs in tradeable goods has been an important issue in the region. One source has been globalization and the expansion of worldwide free trade agreements. Anti-globalization groups argue that trade with developing countries has resulted in stiff competition from countries such as China which pegs its currency to

8360-457: The exchange rate against manufactured goods. Related issues include the decline of the iron and steel industry , the movement of manufacturing to the southeastern states with their lower labor costs, the layoffs due to the rise of automation in industrial processes, the decreased need for labor in making steel products, new organizational methods such as just-in-time manufacturing which allowed factories to maintain production with fewer workers,

8470-509: The heavy industrial divisions of Chatham, Lambton, and Essex, as well as the mostly recreational divisions of Huron and Prince Edward had a decrease in population. Southern Ontario has long been an international destination for higher learning. It houses numerous internationally acclaimed public universities and colleges amongst its 13 universities and 20 colleges . It is also home to numerous private post-secondary institutions. Many notable Canadians have been based in Southern Ontario, as it

8580-409: The highway are now maintained by counties or municipalities rather than the province. From 1938 to 1968 the province of Ontario built Highway 401 , a freeway that, aside from running more northerly nearby Kitchener instead of through Hamilton, mostly follows a similar route to Highway 2 but bypasses most of the town and city centres. The 401 is now the main transportation route of the corridor up to

8690-410: The internationalization of American business, and the liberalization of foreign trade policies due to globalization . Cities struggling with these conditions shared several difficulties, including population loss , lack of education, declining tax revenues, high unemployment and crime, drugs, swelling welfare rolls, deficit spending, and poor municipal credit ratings. Since the term "Rust Belt"

8800-491: The late 2000s, American manufacturing recovered faster from the Great Recession of 2008 than the other sectors of the economy, and a number of initiatives, both public and private, are encouraging the development of alternative fuel, nano and other technologies. Along with the neighboring Golden Horseshoe of southern Ontario , the Rust Belt composes one of the world's major manufacturing regions. Delving into

8910-399: The mid-1990s, several Rust Belt metropolitan areas experienced a suspension in negative growth, indicated by stabilizing unemployment, wages, and populations. During the first decade of the 21st century, however, a negative trend still persisted: Detroit, Michigan lost 25.7% of its population; Gary, Indiana, 22%; Youngstown, Ohio, 18.9%; Flint, Michigan, 18.7%; and Cleveland, Ohio, 14.5%. In

9020-425: The military airbase at CFB Trenton . Other civilian corridor airports with scheduled airline service include Windsor Airport , Sarnia (Chris Hadfield) Airport , London International Airport , Region of Waterloo International Airport , Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , Kingston/Norman Rogers Airport , Lake Simcoe Regional Airport and Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport . Montréal-Mirabel International Airport

9130-446: The more arable land in the south, its more moderate climate, well-used transportation (water, land, and air) routes, as well as a long history of early European settlers and colonialism . For thousands of years, Ontario has been home to indigenous aboriginal communities, with numerous nations with differing languages at the time of European contact. Over 200,000 aboriginal Canadians live in Southern Ontario today. Southern Ontario

9240-775: The most in the country. The linking of the former Northwest Territory with the once-rapidly industrializing East Coast was effected through several large-scale infrastructural projects , most notably the Erie Canal in 1825, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1830, the Allegheny Portage Railroad in 1834, and the consolidation of the New York Central Railroad following the end of the American Civil War in 1875. A gate

9350-616: The non-manufacturing sector due to lower demand for non-manufacturing goods and increased labor supply from workers who have lost their manufacturing jobs. Other work by this team of economists, with Daron Acemoglu and Brendan Price, estimates that competition from Chinese imports cost the U.S. as many as 2.4 million jobs in total between 1999 and 2011. Avraham Ebenstein, Margaret McMillan, Ann Harrison also pointed out in their article “Why are American Workers getting Poorer? China, Trade and Offshoring” these negative effects of trade with China on American workers. The Economic Policy Institute ,

9460-460: The northeast and Windsor, Ontario in the southwest. With more than 18 million people, it contains about half of the country's population and seven of Canada's 12 largest metropolitan areas , 3 of which are in the top 4 (based on the 2016 census ). Its relative importance to Canada's economic and political infrastructure renders it akin to the Northeast megalopolis in the United States. The name

9570-482: The past and musing on the future of Rust Belt states, a 2010 Brookings Institution report suggests that the Great Lakes region has a sizable potential for transformation, citing already existing global trade networks, clean energy/low carbon capacity, developed innovation infrastructure, and higher educational network. Different strategies were proposed in order to reverse the fortunes of the former Factory Belt including building casinos and convention centers, retaining

9680-547: The present day. News media occasionally refer to a patchwork of defunct centers of heavy industry and manufacturing across the Great Lakes and Midwestern United States as the snow belt , the manufacturing belt, or the factory belt because of their vibrant industrial economies in the past. This includes most of the cities of the Midwest as far west as the Mississippi River , including St. Louis, and many of those in

9790-605: The products of certain countries to force them to readjust their currencies. Krugman writes that China pursues a mercantilist and predatory policy and keeps its currency undervalued to accumulate trade surpluses using capital flow controls. The Chinese government sells renminbi and buys foreign currency to keep the renminbi low, giving China's manufacturing sector a cost advantage over its competitors. China's surpluses drain US demand, destroy US industry and slow economic recovery in other countries with which China trades. Krugman writes: “This

9900-574: The province's agriculture is found here. That includes most of Ontario's berry growers, who are represented by Ontario Berries . Southern Ontario is well known for its attractions and tourism. Some popular tourist attractions include the CN Tower , Parliament Hill , Niagara Falls , National Gallery of Canada , Canada's Wonderland , CNE , Caesars Windsor , Canadian War Museum , Toronto Zoo , Hockey Hall of Fame , Ripley's Aquarium of Canada , Royal Canadian Mint , Marineland , The Rideau Canal ,

10010-611: The proximity to the Great Lakes waterways, and abundance of paved roads, water canals, and railroads. After the transportation infrastructure linked the iron ore found in the so-called Iron Range of northern Minnesota , Wisconsin and Upper Michigan with the coking coal mined from the Appalachian Basin in Western Pennsylvania and Western Virginia , the Steel Belt was born. Soon it developed into

10120-532: The recession of 1970–71, a new pattern of deindustrializing economy emerged. Competitive devaluation combined with each successive downturn saw traditional U.S. manufacturing workers experiencing lay-offs. In general, in the Factory Belt employment in the manufacturing sector declined by 32.9% between 1969 and 1996. Wealth-producing primary and secondary sector jobs such as those in manufacturing and computer software were often replaced by much-lower-paying wealth-consuming jobs such as those in retail and government in

10230-445: The region are visited by millions of tourists every summer. The most popular beaches are Wasaga Beach , Grand Bend , Sauble Beach , and Sandbanks . Quebec City%E2%80%93Windsor Corridor The Quebec City–Windsor Corridor (French: Corridor Québec-Windsor ) is the most densely populated and heavily industrialized region of Canada. As its name suggests, the 1,150 km (710 mi)-long region extends from Quebec City in

10340-522: The region. The M w   5.8 Cornwall–Massena earthquake occurred in 1944 and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII ( Very strong ). Many tourists visit the area in the autumn months to look at the bright, vibrant colours of fall foliage . Southern Ontario has a very different climate from the rest of the country. It is the only area of Canada that has Carolinian forest . Many trees, plants, and wildlife in Southern Ontario are not found anywhere else in Canada. Some rare trees in this region include

10450-414: The rest of the economy. The manufacturing sector therefore provides a very important stimulus to overall economic growth. Manufacturing is also associated with well-paid service jobs such as accounting, business management, research and development and legal services. Deindustrialisation is therefore also leading to a significant loss of these service jobs. Deindustrialization thus means the disappearance of

10560-471: The revival is taking place in the once-stagnant area. The CHIPS and Science Act , which became effective in August 2022, was designed to rebuild the manufacturing sector with thousands of jobs and research programs in states like Ohio focusing on making products like semiconductors due to the global chip shortage of the early 2020s . The Rust Belt is depicted in various films, television shows, and songs. It

10670-628: The settlements along the corridor were at the centre of the conflicts. New France , including the areas that make up the Corridor, were ceded to Great Britain at the end of the conflict; formalized with the signing of the Treaty of Paris . When the English-speaking United Empire Loyalists arrived in the Province of Quebec as a result of the American Revolution , they settled along the narrow strip north of

10780-533: The trail follows the Mattawa River to the Ottawa River . Muskoka and Parry Sound are commonly regarded as transitional regions between Southern and Northern Ontario. Both divisions may be regarded as northern districts geographically, culturally, and politically in some contexts. The 2011 census revealed that the major urban divisions of York, Halton, Peel, and Ottawa had the largest growth. While

10890-478: The transportation and processing of the raw materials required for heavy industry. The area was referred to as the Manufacturing Belt, Factory Belt, or Steel Belt as distinct from the agricultural Midwestern states forming the so-called Corn Belt and Great Plains states that are often called the "breadbasket of America". The flourishing industrial manufacturing in the region was caused in part by

11000-439: The wages of workers already employed in these other sectors. The threat of offshoring of production facilities leads workers to accept wage cuts to keep their jobs. According to the Economic Policy Institute, trade agreements have not reduced trade deficits but rather increased them. The growing trade deficit with China comes from China's manipulation of its currency , dumping policies, subsidies, trade barriers that give it

11110-505: The warm climate mean that the flora and fauna in the corridor are similar to those in the deciduous forests of the eastern United States as far south as Virginia , rather than the evergreen boreal forest that covers most of central Canada up to the Arctic . The forest in southwestern Ontario is often referred to as Carolinian forest . According to the 2006 Canadian Census , more than 94% of Ontario's population lives in its portion of

11220-432: The world. Air Canada serves the three cities with its Rapidair service, offering hourly flights, and its principal competitor WestJet offers similar service. Air Canada and Porter Airlines fly from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Ottawa and Montreal, while Air Canada Jazz offers commuter flights connecting many of the smaller airports to Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. In addition to scheduled air service, some of

11330-460: Was 45 and 52 °C (113 and 126 °F) with the humidex . During cold snaps, winter temperatures can occasionally drop below −30 °C (−22 °F). The climate found over most of southern Ontario falls within the Dfb and Dfa climate subtypes, much warmer or milder than the northern part of the province due to lower latitude, presence of bodies of water, and intense urbanization. Harsh weather

11440-584: Was colonized by the French and the British . After the area began to be developed for European settlement, especially after the American Revolutionary War, other European immigrants arrived as well, with increased immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the late 20th century, many immigrants have come from Asia and other parts of the world. The region is one of the top destinations for immigrants worldwide, particularly

11550-522: Was constructed to provide a way to bypass the most vulnerable part of the corridor, from Cornwall to Kingston, situated close to the Canada-U.S. border . After the Rebellions of 1837–1838 , the two Canadas were united to form the Province of Canada . Ottawa was eventually chosen as Canada's capital by Queen Victoria precisely because it was further inland and thus less vulnerable to attack, though it

11660-624: Was described in the magazine Harper's as a "depressed industrial desert" as early as 1931, as its textile concerns were being uprooted and sent southward, primarily to the Carolinas . In the first half of the 20th century, the Great Depression followed by American entry into World War II was followed by a rapid return to economic growth, during which much of the industrial North reached its peak population and industrial output. The northern cities experienced changes that followed

11770-481: Was first popularized by Via Rail , which runs frequent passenger rail service in the region in its service area known as " The Corridor ". The corridor extends from Quebec City , Quebec, in the northeast to Windsor , Ontario, in the southwest, running north of the Saint Lawrence River , Lake Ontario and Lake Erie . For most of its length, the corridor runs through a narrow strip of farmland with

11880-458: Was opened between a variety of burgeoning industries on the interior North American continent and the markets of large East Coast cities and Western Europe . Coal, iron ore, and other raw materials were shipped in from surrounding regions which emerged as major ports on the Great Lakes and served as transportation hubs for the region with proximity to railroad lines. Coming in the other direction were millions of European immigrants, who populated

11990-463: Was the principal city of the English half of the corridor, but eventually Toronto outgrew it. As a result of the influx of migrants, the Province of Quebec was split into two new colonies, Lower and Upper Canada ; with administration over the Corridor split between the two Canadas . During the War of 1812 , the settlements along the corridor were at the centre of the conflicts. The Rideau Canal

12100-601: Was undercut by German and Japanese firms. High labor costs encouraged companies to move production to the Sun Belt or overseas. The American automotive industry declined as consumers turned to fuel-efficient, imported vehicles after the 1973 oil crisis raised the cost of gasoline, and when foreign manufacturers opened factories in the United States, they largely avoided the strongly unionized Rust Belt. Families moved away, leaving cities with falling tax revenues , declining infrastructure, and abandoned buildings. Notable cities in

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