The issue of regionalism - Essay Example

Full Regionalism Affecting Hamilton and Whistler Hamilton and Whistler are among the important cities in Canada in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, respectively. They both cater to a lot of tourists because of the beautiful sceneries found in the areas. Moreover, there are several activities offered such as skiing. Hamilton prides itself in its proximity within the famous tourist attraction, the Niagara Falls while Whistler attracts people because of its resorts. Both have basically great potentials to impact Canada’s economic stability however, their influence is somehow affected by some factors.

Aside from the obvious differences due to the locations of the two cities, there are also others which have been discussed by Harry Hiller in his book “Canadian Society: A Macro Analysis”. Firstly, there is the uneven development as a cause of regionalism. Since Ontario, a province which has from the start, been a major role player in the development of the country ever since, it greatly affects the areas in it. For instance, Hamilton benefits from the fact that Ontario ‘gained new momentum in the Post-World-War II era, specifically in its industrial development.

Such industrial strength makes Hamilton be at an advantage over Whistler which is located at a less developed province. This is so because ‘overdevelopment of a region can take place at the expense of the other underdevelopment of others’ (Hiller, 140). Secondly, regionalism in both places is affected by state policies. For instance, the Post-Depression State Policy encouraged more American investments which again benefitted Ontario a lot. Therefore, the region became economically stronger than other regions.

Similarly, the results to Hamilton mentioned earlier take the same pattern in contrast to that of Whistler. Another factor affecting regionalism is elite control and capital flows. As a result of the economic success of Ontario, economic and political elites flocked in the area thereby strengthening further the economic stability of the province. As a result, other matters affected by the presence of such elite personalities, economic and political advancements favor the province even more. Since the elite are in such successful provinces as Ontario and Quebec, political power, which plays a great role in regionalism, is concentrated in the areas.

More investments can be focused in Ontario while others have lesser cash flows, making the elite like puppeteers. Political structure is another factor related to elite control which affects regionalism. Population imbalance is determined to be an indirect cause of the phenomenon because it is believed that a larger population holds the advantage to choose the political leaders to be elected into office. Consequently, the elected officials will focus in improving their own provinces as compared to others.

In a similar fashion, the economic status of a province is affected by the concentration of political powers in major provinces just like the way the presence economic elites in a province affect the place’s economic strength. Lastly, the linkages of Canadian province to American states affect regionalism as well. In the cases of Ontario and British Columbia, both provinces are linked to the United States. However, Ontario seems to be at a more advantage than British Columbia because the former is near more states such as New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Whereas British Columbia is directly linked to only a few states, this circumstance again affects the status of Whistler.ReferenceHiller, Harry H. “Canadian Society: A Macro Analysis”, 5th Edition. 2006. Canada: Prentice Hall.