History UsefulNotes / CanadianProvincesAndTerritories

->'''Notable media set in BC:''' ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'', ''Series/DaVincisInquest'', ''Film/InTheLandOfTheHeadHunters'', the above-mentioned ''{{Series/Continuum}}'', [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Novels_set_in_British_Columbia several novels in a surprising variety of genres and series]] including Literature/TheAvenger, Literature/TheHardyBoys and a (non-Sci-Fi) book by Creator/JulesVerne, ''WesternAnimation/BeingIan'', ''WesternAnimation/KidVsKat''.

->'''Famous British Columbians:''' Terry Fox[[note]] Cancer research activist; famous for his attempt to run across Canada on an artificial leg, which ended when his cancer returned and soon claimed his life. Born in Winnipeg, but lived in the Vancouver area from age 8 until his death.[[/note]], [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Steve Nash]][[note]]Born in UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica, but raised from early childhood in Victoria[[/note]], Creator/MichaelJFox[[note]]Born in Edmonton as a MilitaryBrat, but settled in Burnaby after his dad retired from the military[[/note]], Creator/CoryMonteith[[note]]Born in Calgary, but grew up in Victoria after his parents' divorce.[[/note]], Creator/SethRogen, Dan Mangan, B.Traits, almost every extra on a Creator/{{Syfy}} original show.

->'''Other useful info:''' Home to the highest diversity of First Nations peoples, as was partially showcased during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Also home to Butchart Gardens, one of the most famous garden attractions in the world, and probably the most famous in North America. The otherwise unnotable ''small'' city of Castlegar [[VancouverDoubling is apparently]] [[GratuitousSpecialEffects a major centre of over 100k]] [[SpeakOfTheDevil where a certain creepypasta took place]]. The otherwise ''completely non-existent'' [[DyingTown "city"]] of Greenwood is apparently located on [[CaliforniaDoubling Vancouver Island]]. Everything else in proximity of the latter, near but to the west of the former, and southeast of Kelowna [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere may as well be a kilometres-long stretch of winding road through pristine forest in the eyes of the media]], and anything located anywhere near to the north [[TruthInTelevision actually is]]. Kokanee beer is made in the province at a brewery [[BlatantLies nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountains]] and certainly not in the flattest part of the province east of the [[{{UsefulNotes/Vancouver}} Fraiser Valley]].

->'''Best way to insult an Albertan:''' Serve a vegetarian meal[[note]]The Canadian country music scene, based in Alberta, famously turned its back on Calgarian singer k. d. lang not when she came out as a lesbian but when she came out as a ''vegetarian''[[/note]], vote [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPolitics Liberal or NDP]] (this one may not work as well anymore, considering Alberta voted in its first NDP majority government in 2015). Tell an Edmontonian that Calgary is better (or vice-versa). Insult Calgary's mayor (Calgarians only)

->'''Other useful info:''' Actually one of the more successful provinces coming out of the recession, in part due to uranium mines and recently re-opened rare earth mines (metals used in high tech devices). Because it straddles two time-zones, Saskatchewan doesn't follow Daylight Saving Time, thus matching Alberta on Mountain Time in the summer and Manitoba on Central Time in the winter.[[note]]Astute readers will note that this puts the province on DST year-round.[[/note]] The area immediately surrounding the Saskatchewan side of the biprovincial city of Lloydminster is an exception to this rule—that area uses Mountain Time with DST, keeping its clocks synchronized with Alberta year-round.

->'''Best way to insult a New Brunswicker/ un(e) Néo-Brunswickois(e):''' Mistake for Nova Scotia or refer to as "No Funswick." Also, depending on who you talk to, calling a New Brunswicker (of the Miramichi/Cassilis/Sunny Corner Areas) a Hillbilly or a Redneck will either earn you a slap/insult back or a high five and a "We sure damn are! The very best!" For French speakers, insist they speak English all the time or call them liars if they claim to be from New Brunswick instead of Quebec.

->'''Notable media set in New Brunswick:''' ...it's got nothing.

->'''Notable media set in Ontario:''' ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'', ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'', ''Series/TheListener'', ''Series/RookieBlue'', ''Franchise/{{Degrassi}}'', ''Series/{{Letterkenny}}'', ''WesternAnimation/CaptainFlamingo'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Sidekick}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Grojband}}'', ''Series/TheRedGreenShow'', ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'', ''WesternAnimation/CampLakebottom'', ''Series/MurdochMysteries'', ''Series/SchittsCreek''

->'''Notable media set in BC:''' ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'', ''Series/DaVincisInquest'', ''Film/InTheLandOfTheHeadHunters'', the above-mentioned ''{{Series/Continuum}}'', [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Novels_set_in_British_Columbia several novels in a surprising variety of genres and series]] including Literature/TheAvenger, Literature/TheHardyBoys and a (non-Sci-Fi) book by Creator/JulesVerne, ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons'', ''WesternAnimation/BeingIan'', ''WesternAnimation/KidVsKat''.

->'''Notable media set in Ontario:''' ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'', ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'', ''Series/TheListener'', ''Series/RookieBlue'', ''Franchise/{{Degrassi}}'', ''Series/{{Letterkenny}}''

->'''Notable media set in BC:''' ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'', ''Series/DaVincisInquest'', ''Film/InTheLandOfTheHeadHunters'', the above-mentioned ''{{Series/Continuum}}'', [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Novels_set_in_British_Columbia several novels in a surprising variety of genres and series]] including Literature/TheAvenger, Literature/TheHardyBoys and a (non-Sci-Fi) book by Creator/JulesVerne.

->'''Notable media set in Saskatchewan:''' ''Series/CornerGas'', ''Series/LittleMosqueOnThePrairie''

If you're an American, you can think of the territories being operated similar to Washington, DC, Guam, or Puerto Rico, and the provinces being operated similar to any of the 50 states. If you are Australian, you can think of the provinces as the equivalent of your states while the territories are the equivalent of Northern Territory.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_manitoba.png]]

->'''[[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL teams:]]''' The Montreal Canadians/Canadiens (or "Habs") whose fans are known for rioting regardless of the actual outcome of the game. It is still a point of contention with the NHL commission that the Nordiques have not returned to Quebec City.[[note]]Nate Silver, the analyst mentioned in the note on Ontario teams, also agrees that the Nordiques should be revived as part of the same proposal that adds a team in Toronto and one in Hamilton[[/note]] Also known for their lengthy and heated rivalry with the Boston Bruins.

->'''[[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL teams:]]''' Toronto Maple Leafs (sorry, you will never get tickets to a home game) and the Ottawa Senators. There have been more than a couple of petitions to bring one of the bankrupt southern US teams to the hockey-hungry province (suggested cities included Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo region, Hamilton, London, and Mississauga, as well as simply putting an additional team in Toronto)[[note]]Statistical analyst and rabid hockey fan (he's American, but more importantly he's from Michigan) Nate Silver [[http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/31/why-cant-canada-win-the-stanley-cup/?_r=0 advocates for putting one in Hamilton and one in Toronto]].[[/note]] but all have been refused.

->'''Famous Islanders:''' L.M. Montgomery, professional golfer Lorie Kane

->'''Other cities of note:''' UsefulNotes/NiagaraFalls, Hamilton (aka Steeltown), Guelph (aka Cowtown), Windsor ([[RuleOfThree aka Car-town]]) (not really, borders UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}}, but isn't as depressed), London (like its namesake, is also on a Thames River), Kingston (home of the first Prime Minister), Sudbury (the world class Neutrino Observatory makes this city a good setting for sci-fi novels), Thunder Bay (best city for climbing up a frozen waterfall if you can overlook its WretchedHive status), Barrie (cottage country), and Kitchener-Waterloo (birthplace of RIM, which has now changed its name to that of its most famous product, [=BlackBerry=])

->'''[[OverlyLongGag So they speak French, eh?]]:''' Actually, the dialect is much more old fashioned and "twangier" than what is spoken in France; the distinction is something akin to a Southern drawl in American English. As well, swear words are quite different from one to another, leading to movies dubbed in France being given a lighter rating in Quebec. "Fuck" and "shit" are actually quite mild in Quebec French and are roughly akin to "hell" and "dammit"; ''strong'' Quebec French profanity is known as "sacre" and consists of reappropriated words and phrases related to Catholicism and its liturgy. "Tabarnak", "crisse", and "calice", among others, are all roughly akin to the strongest words in the English language.

->'''Famous Manitobans:''' The Weakerthans, Music/NeilYoung, The Guess Who, [[Series/LetsMakeADeal Monty Hall]], Wrestling/ChrisJericho (born on Long Island while his dad was playing in the NHL, but grew up in Winnipeg), Wrestling/KennyOmega

->'''Famous Manitobans:''' The Weakerthans, Music/NeilYoung, The Guess Who, [[Series/LetsMakeADeal Monty Hall]]

->'''Other useful info:''' Hundreds of the lakes, streams, rivers etc are unnamed, a naming convention has been set up by the Manitoba government to acknowledge service people (such as firefighters, police officers, or soldiers) who are killed in the line of duty by naming a water body after them. Also, in Churchill there's a law actually banning you from locking your car during certain parts of the year, just in case a polar bear is wandering around, and a pedestrian needs a quick refuge.

->'''Best way to insult a Saskatcherwaner:''' Saskatchewiener, Saskatchawhiner, saying anything negative about the Riders is akin to saying "TABERNACLE DE HABS" in Quebec.
->'''Other useful info:''' Actually one of the more successful provinces coming out of the recession, in part due to uranium mines and recently re-opened rare earth mines (metals used in high tech devices). Because it straddles two time-zones, Saskatchewan doesn't follow Daylight Savings Time, thus matching Alberta on Mountain Time in the summer and Manitoba on Central Time in the winter.[[labelnote:note]]Astute readers will note that this puts the province on DST year-round[[/labelnote]] The area immediately surrounding the Saskatchewan side of the biprovincial city of Lloydminster is an exception to this rule—that area uses Mountain Time with DST, keeping its clocks synchronized with Alberta year-round.

->'''[[UsefulNotes/CanadianFootballLeague CFL teams]]:''' None, but there was a plan to bring a team to Halifax once in the 1980s (Atlantic Schooners). There still exists lobbying efforts to bring the CFL to Nova Scotia.

->'''[[UsefulNotes/CanadianFootballLeague CFL teams]]:''' None, though in 2010, 2011, and 2013, Moncton hosted one regular-season game. The CFL ended the Moncton experiment after 2013 due to declining attendance. Moncton offered to play host to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during stadium repairs in 2013, but the [=Ti-Cats=] chose instead to play eight of their nine home games in the much closer city of Guelph, with the other home game in Moncton. This kept New Brunswick from becoming the first Atlantic province to get a CFL team. Sort of (they almost brought the CFL once to Halifax in the 1980s).

->'''Other useful info:''' Unlike every other northern city, Whitehorse has a noticeably higher percentage of women than men. The Territory itself was created to get a handle on the Klondike Gold Rush which saw literally tens of thousands of people head north on the promise of getting rich quick (a lot of them turned back). The stories of Sam Steele, the poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee", and the original reputation of the RCMP are from this era.

->'''Famous Nova Scotians:''' The Series/TrailerParkBoys, Picnicface, Hank Snow, Music/Sloan (they are now based in Toronto though), Anne Murray, Alexander Graham Bell (summer home in Cape Breton Island), Sidney Crosby, Creator/EllenPage, Music/SarahMcLachlan

->'''Famous Nova Scotians:''' The Series/TrailerParkBoys, Picnicface, Hank Snow, Sloan, Anne Murray, Alexander Graham Bell (summer home in Cape Breton Island), Sidney Crosby, Creator/EllenPage, Music/SarahMcLachlan

->'''Other useful info:''' Unlike every other northern city, Whitehorse has a noticeably higher percentage of women than men. The Territory itself was created to get a handle on the Klondike Gold Rush which saw literally tens of thousands of people head north on the promise of getting rich quick (a lot of them turned back). The stories of Sam Steele and the original reputation of the RCMP are from this era.

->'''Other cities of note:''' UsefulNotes/NiagaraFalls, Hamilton (aka Steeltown), Guelph (aka Cowtown), Windsor ([[RuleOfThree aka Car-town]]) (not really, borders UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}}, but isn't as depressed), London (like its namesake, is also on a Thames River), Kingston (home of the first Prime Minister), Sudbury (the world class Neutrino Observatory makes this city a good setting for sci-fi novels), Thunder Bay (best city for climbing up a frozen waterfall!), Barrie (cottage country), and Kitchener-Waterloo (birthplace of RIM, which has now changed its name to that of its most famous product, [=BlackBerry=])

->'''Notable media set in Ontario:''' ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'', ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'', ''Series/TheListener'', ''Series/RookieBlue'', ''Franchise/{{Degrassi}}''

->'''Notable media set in Manitoba:''' "Tales from the Gimli Hospital", "Film/MyWinnipeg"

->'''Geographic shape:''' Largest province, resembled a wonky tulip. Actually over twice the size of UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}.

->'''Notable media set in Quebec:''' ''Film/BonCopBadCop''; ''French Immersion''; ''The High Cost Of Living''; ''La Grande Seduction''

->'''Famous people from Quebec:''' Music/CelineDion, Simple Plan, Creator/WilliamShatner, Mario Lemieux, Creator/JayBaruchel, Music/LeonardCohen

->'''Other useful info:''' Newfoundland was the last province to join Confederation - it was actually an independent British colony until 1949 (and still used the Union Flag as its provincial standard until 1980). In part due to historical isolation, some regions of Newfoundland have accents distinct enough that people familiar enough can tell what town, or even what part of that town, an accent is from. Recent expansion of offshore oil drilling has reversed the flow of immigration, leading to people finally moving ''to'' Newfoundland for jobs.

->'''Best known for:''' The Alaska Highway, the Gold Rush, COLD

UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} is made up of ten provinces and three territories. The theory of this is that each of the provinces is a separate, independent monarchy that has joined with the other separate, independent monarchies to form the united monarchy of Canada. As such, each has its own Lieutenant-Governor[[note]]If you're wondering why they're ''Lieutenant'' Governors and not Governors, it's because they were originally subordinate to the federal Governor General (who technically still appoints them and could theoretically overrule them). However, several court rulings made them into direct representatives of the Queen instead of the Governor General, effectively reducing the GG's powers and further increasing the autonomy of the provinces.[[/note]] and parliament of its own right. The territories, meanwhile, are under the direct control of the united Crown of Canada, represented in the territory by a commissioner. (Or to be more poetic: in a province, the Queen is the Queen because she the the Queen of the province. In a territory, she is the Queen because she is the Queen of Canada as a whole.)

!!'''Northwest Territories'''
->'''Capital:''' Yellowknife
->'''Other cities of note:''' Hay River (population: almost 4000)
->'''Best known for:''' The Mackenzie River, Great Slave Lake, Polar bear shaped license plates, COLD
->'''Population:''' 41,786. Tiny
->'''Notable media set in NWT:''' ''Arctic Air'', ''Ice Pilots''[[note]]the reality show that inspired ''Arctic Air''[[/note]], ''Series/IceRoadTruckers''
->'''Famous NWT-ers:''' Creator/MargotKidder
->'''Most common stereotype:''' Does anyone actually live there?
->'''Best way to insult a NWT-er:''' Why would you bother?
->'''Other useful info:''' It's the rump of the vast North-Western Territories, which at one point encompassed an area comparable in size to India--basically everything northwest of Ontario, with the exception of BC. Over the 19th and 20th centuries, Manitoba, Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nunavut were all carved out of it (in approximately that order). The Yellowknife Tim Hortons is the busiest Tim Hortons in the country, in part due to it being the only coffee shop within a day's drive on the only trucking route that services all the mining operations in the North that are reachable by road. Similarly, the Hay River Ford dealership was the most profitable in North America for years until the mining companies started diversifying their fleet. Contains the (fictional) [[SantaClaus H-Zero-H-Zero-H-Zero]] postal code via the [[LifeImitatesArt real life location it's considered attached to]][[note]][[YesVirginia if your kids ask]], thanks to modern pop culture you can tell them Santa [[{{UsefulNotes/Alaska}} has]] [[{{UsefulNotes/Finland}} multiple]] [[{{UsefulNotes/Spain}} forwarding]] [[{{UsefulNotes/Turkey}} addresses]] and [[{{UsefulNotes/Sinterklaas}} aliases]], and watch the questions disappear [[TakeAThirdOption regardless of location]][[/note]].
->'''Geographic shape:''' Mainland NWT is shaped like a slide.

->'''Notable media set in Yukon:''' ''Yukon Men'', ''Ice Pilots'', ''WesternAnimation/YvonOfTheYukon'', ''Film/{{City of Gold|1957}}'', any story set during the Klondike Gold Rush[[note]]like Charlie Chaplin's ''Film/TheGoldRush'' and several literary works by Creator/JackLondon[[/note]]

->'''Best way to insult an Albertan:''' Serve a vegetarian meal[[note]]Though k. d. lang is actually vegetarian and from Calgary[[/note]], vote [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPolitics Liberal or NDP]] (this one may not work as well anymore, considering Alberta voted in its first NDP majority government in 2015). Tell an Edmontonian that Calgary is better (or vice-versa). Insult Calgary's mayor (Calgarians only)

->'''Territorial official motto:''' ''Nunavut Sannginivut''[[labelnote:*]]"Our Land/Nunavut [same thing in Inuktitut], Our Strength." Technically this should be in Inuktitut syllabics but technical limitations make that difficult at best on this site.[[/labelnote]]

->'''Famous Nunavummiut:''' Susan Aglukark