“

As we encounter each other, we see our diversity - of background, race, ethnicity, belief - and how we handle that diversity will have much to say about whether we will in the end be able to rise successfully to the great challenges we have today.

~ Dan Smith, The State of the World Atlas

Determining where to live is an important decision. Sometimes people relocate by choice, and sometimes they relocate out of necessity. Regardless, some initial research needs to be undertaken so that we can make informed decisions.

Take a moment to brainstorm the criteria that people may wish to know about a neighbourhood, region, or city prior to moving there. When you have completed your list, compare it to the list provided to see if there are any factors that you could add to your list for consideration.

HouseCriteria

Long Description

Much of the information in the list above can be easily obtained from different sources, including map applications, Statistics Canada, and tourism or local government websites. In many cities, information such as a walkability score is available to the public” – include the following link:

https://www.walkscore.com/live-more/canada/.

What actions of social change came about to cause this information to be shared?

While it is important to do as much research as possible beforehand, it is impossible to know the whole story until you have spent some time in the area yourself. And even then, sometimes surprises still occur - such as in the situation of the Love Canal in New York State.

Social Change and Locations

Location trends change over time, as well. The popularity of neighbourhoods and communities ebbs and flows over time, depending upon how desirable they seem to potential buyers. Two different examples of this are described below:

1. Gentrification

   Gentrification occurs when middle and upper class people begin buying property and relocating to a less desirable neighbourhood. This movement eventually forces the original occupants, who are often from the more marginalized sections of the population, out because they can no longer afford to live there. This phenomenon is not specific to any one location or even country, but a few examples include San Francisco, Regent Park in Toronto, Berlin, and Barcelona. Take a moment to consider the implications of gentrification in general. This can be viewed as a localized example of social change.

   

2. Relocation

   

   Immigration has a massive impact on demographics in a number of ways. As mentioned in the previous activity, people take many different paths as they immigrate to Canada. Ultimately, however, they become part of Canadian society. Because of our low birth rates, Canada is dependent upon immigration to fill the workforce, to ensure that the absolute population numbers don't decrease, and also to add cultural richness. While other countries take a ‘melting pot' approach to immigration, Canada strives to be a multicultural society.

   Some immigrants may choose their new communities for the same reasons that you brainstormed above, but often one of the more heavily weighted criteria is their desire to live in communities with people who also speak their native language, understand their traditions and celebrations, and are accepting of their differences. The demographics of Canada as a whole have also been influenced by dishonoured land treaties with Indigenous peoples, as well as which groups were encouraged or allowed to enter Canada in different time periods. In fact, there were years when people from certain countries (China, India, Japan, the Caribbean, etc.) were barred from immigrating to Canada for various reasons, and there were also years when people from other countries (mainly Europeans) were enticed to relocate to Canada by jobs and “free” land.

   Furthermore, First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples and non-European immigrants were subject to racism, segregation and marginalization. Many had no choice but to stay in their own groups and were limited as to where they actually could move within Canada.

   Canadian place names, as we understand it today, have a variety of origins. Many names have origins in Indigenous languages. For example, Ontario means ‘beautiful lake' and Toronto is an Iroquois word for “where there are trees in water.” Yet, as European immigrants settled in Canada, they also named new settlements after the communities that they left behind. Stratford (England), Pickering (England), Port Elgin (Scotland), Caledonia (Scotland), and Waterford (Ireland) are a few examples.

   While we often think of Toronto as multicultural and ethnically diverse, this multicultural mosaic map allows us to look at the country of origin for the dominant immigrant group in each area of Canada. This language map identifies the most commonly spoken language (excluding English and French) in each region. Take a moment to look for similarities and differences. What fact surprised you?

   Related to immigration is migration – people relocating within a country for various reasons. These may be a reaction to an event of social change such as a change in political leadership, employment or educational opportunities, cost of living, and lifestyle. Even the need to migrate has changed in recent years as fewer jobs are performed in a physical location and more can be done virtually from any location.

   

   Historically in Canada we have seen a rural to urban migration. As people left family farms for employment opportunities in cities, the rural population dropped and the urban population swelled. Cities and towns have continued to grow.

Looking at Neighbourhoods

Click through the following interactive for some images of different neighbourhoods.

Neighbourhood

Long Description

There is something to be said for physically visiting a neighbourhood to form an opinion, but more empirical (definition:Factual, unbiased.) information can be gathered as well.

Many real estate websites allow you to look at homes in an area while at the same time providing some demographic information on the neighbourhood. MLS (Multiple Listing Services) for example, allows prospective buyers to look at the statistics for the immediate area, including projected population in the future, education, marital status, languages spoken, occupation and household income. This allows prospective buyers to compare properties and to clarify their decision making criteria. In the activities below, we will look at how information can be used to minimize the judgement aspect of the comparison process.

When we look at where we live or neighboring areas, we might find that we hold assumptions for neighborhoods that are not entirely accurate or justified. Often, social change begins with being able to differentiate the truth from a widely accepted image - along with the action of trying to bring these two into alignment.