Most Canadian / Least Canadian
 

Simple thread, which 3 cities in Canada do you feel are the most “Canadian” and which 3 are the “least” Canadian in your opinion?

Instead of explaining any further I will give you my list as an example:

Most Canadian in no particular order:

1. Edmonton

For me everything about Edmonton, the climate, the built form, the sports culture, etc... screams Canada.

2. Ottawa

Similar reasons as Edmonton, just with an Ontario flare.

3. Anything in New Brunswick

Moncton, St. John, and Fredericton all scream smaller Canadian city.

Honorable Mentions: Regina, Saskatoon, Hamilton and Yellowknife.

Least Canadian in no particular order:

1. Victoria

Has a very Tasmanian and New Zealand feel. The built form, architecture (both old and new), landscaping, natural flora, climate, etc...

2. Quebec City

Always given the “European” descriptor. The built form plays a big role in its non typical Canadian feel. There is also of course the cultural aspect at play here as well.

3. St. John’s

The Nordic feel in architecture as well as the landscape and also the culture.

Honorable Mentions: Calgary, Windsor, Kelowna.


Interestingly the big 3, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, are all torn between the two categories. Each for different reasons have aspects that are very Canadian, and others that are very non Canadian in feel.

More:
1 Ottawa - parliament, it can't get more Canadian than that
2 Edmonton - Wayne Gretzky & cold weather
3 Moncton - non descript, therefore Canadian

Less:
1 St. John's - because they say so b'ys, and it was independent for a long time
2 Victoria - because it's mild and on the edge, feels more removed from central Canada
3 Quebec Cy. - more Canadian, as I define it, it's an important part of Canadian history

(But I only chose from your examples because I didn't read the question properly).

Fun question and your answer will depend on your perspective of Canada.

If you could put Edmonton, Halifax, and Montreal into a blender the product would be a pretty darn Canadian city IMO, though I don't know if I would use any of the three to exemplify Canada alone, except Halifax.

Most: Kamloops (Mountains, skiing, nature)
Saskatoon (Farming, Rivers, small town folks living in a city)
Saint John NB or Halifax (Port city, British influences in architecture)

Least: Quebec City (Intentionally tries not to be a typical Canadian City)
Windsor (Feels more connected to the US than the rest of Canada)
Victoria (Weather/location/general vibe of the city are not stereotypical
Canadian)

Most:

1. Toronto
2. Montreal
3. Vancouver

I think cities define any larger political jurisdiction they are part of. I don’t like that the prairies, Atlantic Canada, and North can’t be represented since it’s only three cities but I’d still have to go with these three. Toronto today (multiculturalism and diversity), Montreal yesterday (history, Canada’s London/Paris/whatever in its day), and Vancouver as Canada’s Perth - off to itself, doing its own thing but large and influential by its country standards, something smaller cities (ie Atlantic Canadian ones) don’t have the scale to do.

Least:

1. Quebec City - agreed with Archetype that it is Canada, but compared to Montreal it’s also more of its own separate thing
2. St. John’s - if Atlantic Canada was the whole country, St. John’s would be very Canadian. But the things that make it distinct from the Maritimes, combined with the things it shares in common with the Maritimes but not elsewhere in Canada... to me it’s enough for second.
3. So torn. Vancouver for the deep connections to China, Toronto for being a sort of world city, Calgary for the conservatism and rodeos and the rest, etc. You can make a case for almost any city anywhere in these lists haha.

Most:

Red Deer, Windsor, Chilliwack

Least:

Vancouver, Penticton, Anything in N.B.

So, I'll try again from the beginning:

Most Canadian:
1 Winnipeg - central, has stereotypical Canadian climate, seems typical and average for a Canadian city
2 Ottawa - because the capital must define the country
3 Halifax - represents importance in early Canadian history, seems representative of typical eastern Canadian culture.

Least Canadian:
1 St. John's - because it has it's own more distinct culture, and was not part of Canada until 1949
2 Montreal - It is important, but is not generally thought of as typical Canadian for obvious reasons
3 Victoria - same as before, it's more remote than Vancouver, the climate is milder than what is typical Canadan, it is strategically positioned for NW American influence.

Most:

Ottawa-Gatineau - I've said it before and I'll say it again: The national capital embodies the spirit of the nation. 3/4 English, 1/4 French. Is a microcosm of the two solitudes thing - one crosses the bridges for work or the various things only available on the other side, but generally each kind of does its own thing. Big enough to show the changing demographics of Canada, but still definitely has 'old-stock' Canada there. Not exciting or flashy, Vegas it isn't. It does have a lot of things that make life nicer, if you choose to partake in them. A place you could see raising a family happily without drama.

Winnipeg - Resolute in averageness. It's not the big name of the Prairies in economic performance like Calgary or Edmonton. It doesn't have the oil-based enthusiasm or hangover. Has a 'Aw, shucks' modesty about it, in the sense that it's not a braggart. Probably covers the weather aspect of the country best in terms of highs and lows. Admittedly, a focal point of the poor relationship between Native and non-Native populations.

Montreal - I'm not super-sure about listing it here. On the extremes of English Canada and French Canada, it is fulcrum of the two. There's no river to separate the sides, no clear delineation. The meeting place of the two solitudes - both an Anglophone or Francophone could get by here, language-wise. It is large enough to cast its gaze to the world, but definitely its own thing. I think its unique flavour comes from that mix and history.

Least (no order):

Toronto - it's definitely aiming for the 'global city of tomorrow' thing. Reminds me most of Auckland in that sense. The gaze and aspirations of the city is cast towards the US and the rest of the world. Leading the demographic change into the globalized 21st century, it feels more indicative of where Canada is going, not where it's been. YMMV on whether that's a good thing or not.

Quebec City - probably the only major city in Canada you might have trouble communicating as an Anglophone outside of the touristy areas. Does have the old part of the city as an old-world analog, so there's that. Culturally, the city is the heart of old-stock Quebec, which usually is fairly diluted out in other areas of the country.

St. John's/Victoria - hanging on the edges of the country, each has its own vibe that isn't easily found elsewhere in the country. Victoria's the urban hipster dream, St. John's the centre of a universe that still is centred on the Rock.

To me the most "Canadian" would be Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa.

At the other end of the spectrum, the more "exotic" would be St. John's and Victoria/Vancouver.

Also, anyone who puts Montreal and Quebec City in different categories here, to me makes no sense (it would be like putting Vancouver and Victoria at opposite ends of the spectrum, when in reality, IMO, they have to be near each other - which, in my ranking, they are).

Interesting idea for a thread...

Most Canadian:

1. Ottawa

Ontario I think is the most Canadian Province and I get the impression Ottawa has demographics somewhat similar to Canada as a whole. It has a lot of frenchies, looks kind of like a prairie city, and is boring (what's more Canadian?).

2. Edmonton

Similar to Ottawa, it is boring, seems to have somewhat representative population minus french speakers, and culturally is more Canadian than anything else.

3. Hamilton?

I've only driven by but Hamilton seems somewhat representative of Canada's mid-tier old industrial cities (e.g. Winnipeg, and smaller Quebec towns like Trois Rivieres and Sherbrooke). At the same time it seems to be on a bit of an upswing which I kind of get the impression is the case for many of Canadas mid-tier cities (eg Victoria, Kelowna, Peg, Halifax).

Least Canadian:

1. Calgary

I like Calgary and I like Canada but Calgary has for some reason always felt very 'uncanadian' to me. Cowboys will always be American to me and no weird hockey arena will change that.

2. Quebec City

Way more Quebecois than Canadian. Ethnically it's not as diverse as most (any?) other Canadian cities and culturally probably looks more towards Toulouse than Toronto.

3. Thunder Bay

Maybe I'm going out on a limb, but the city always seemed to me way more depressed than any other city I've been to in Canada. I understand it's sort of going through an upswing now with increasing numbers of immigrants but it's always felt more similar to an American rust belt city than any other Canadian city.

A case could be made too for Windsor, ON which is the only Canadian city that's truly in the orbit of an American city, rather than being firmly anchored on the Canadian side.

Well when people try to find US "equivalents" of Canadian cities, it's always a struggle to come up with good comparisons for Ottawa and Edmonton.

Most - Ottawa followed by Montreal. Just because of demographics and history.
Least - Very hard to say. Perhaps St. John’s and Windsor, ON? And yet both are fully Canadian.

Ottawa would obviously be Washington DC (which was, too, chosen as a planned capital sitting on purpose on the line between North and South), but it's true that Edmonton, I'm not sure what it would be.

Ottawa is obvious. For Edmonton - how about Oklahoma City?

Most:

Bobcaygeon, ON
Edmonton
Kanata/Stittsville

Least:

Richmond, BC
Windsor
That town on the west coast of Newfoundland SHH once posted where kids were dressed like chavs.

More akin to Minneapolis or Indianapolis.

For "Least Canadian", it's hard to beat "Hans Island during those times the Danish flag flies on it."

Moncton may be non descript, but it has these important Canadian attributes:

1) - the only officially bilingual city in the only officially bilingual province in the Dominion.
2) - 2/3rds anglophone and 1/3rd francophone
3) - home of 35 Tim Horton's coffee outlets.
4) - the city actually owns it's own sugar bush, and produces it's own maple syrup.
5) - hell, we even have a Beavertails franchise in the city!!!

You can't get much more Canadian that that. :D

Windsor and St. John’s feel less Canadian but for different reasons. Windsor felt like I was in Ohio or something...not Canada. St John’s is basically a mash up of North America/Norway but with Irish people.

Ottawa felt the most Canadian. I’d also put Banff in that category even though it’s not a city.

I agree.

But I feel the same way about people who say St. John's is distinct while Halifax is very Canadian. In the Canadian scheme of things, the two are similar compared to any city from another region. Cape Breton and Newfoundland are even closer, with little discernible difference for Canadians from outside the region. Most of you guys would not be able to tell the difference between a rural NS and NL accent, and many people living in Halifax are from NL. Many NL cancon celebrities got their start in Halifax. Many St. John's street scenes can be approximated in Halifax while you'd struggle to do that in Toronto.

I think of Ottawa and Montreal as the traditional "core" of historical Canada with places like Kingston and Fredericton being on the periphery of that.

I don't really think of Saint John or Moncton as being traditionally Canadian although the Loyalists in Saint John have more overlap with Ontario and the United States. Saint John is a strange place, politically distinct from most of the Maritimes.

My conceptualisation of Canada is pretty..."Laurentian", so Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, and Ottawa are basically quintessential urban Canada to me.

Vancouver is a kind of idealized version of Canada-as-a-brand viewed through the foreign gaze. Calgary too.

Newfoundland is the most non-traditional-Canada for me. I see it as more part of the pan-Atlantic Island world than the Canada I know, so St. John's for least Canadian I guess?

There aren't really any right or wrong answers here.

It depends on the criteria you are using, it's hard to say that St. John's is typically Canadian because it used to be another country, although at times I have described it as more Canadian than Vancouver, because it places more buzz on things like Walmart, Costco, Tim Hortons, the latest opening of a new Canadian chain etc., while that doesn't seem to be as important in Vancouver. I do see Halifax as more Canadian because I think that's how people there identify. It was Canada's Ellis island. The Bluenose, a Canadian symbol, was on our nickel for years.

NS has been a Canadian province since the beginning so NS symbols have been included in Canadiana. Yet would you say that the Bluenose could have equally been from Ontario or Quebec? Or Newfoundland? If you were to plot a line between, say, Toronto and St. John's, Halifax would fall much closer to St. John's than Toronto.

At the broadest cultural level, all 4 Atlantic provinces belong to the Atlantic world but have limited historical continental connections. The old "neighbours" of this area are Western Europe, Canada, the US Eastern Seaboard, and the Caribbean, connected by waterways.

Oh yeah it’s not meant to be a right or wrong type of discussion, just interesting to see how opinions vary.

To expand upon my choices, when a city feels less Canadian or is more “exotic” to me is when I can easily picture it in another country.

Victoria I could easily picture being placed on the South Island of New Zealand and not looking out of place at all.

St. John’s could easily be placed on the Faroe Islands and look right at home.

Windsor looks like it belongs south of the border (there is a geographical pun there).

But to me, I could only ever imagine places such as Edmonton and Ottawa in Canada.

Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to for that matter.

Both cities are salty old seaport towns (i.e. like Gloucester Mass.), but that is not really a Canadian quality per se, so if you remove that there isn't as much in common as Halifax might have with, say, Regina or Kingston.

Minneapolis seems the closest, based on what I've seen. (This will likely be an unpopular opinion but) I'd even go so far as to say that Minneapolis seems like the more Canadian of the two, in terms of its architecture and built form, while Edmonton feels somewhat more American to me. While Edmonton may be one of the "most Canadian" cities, many of its qualities are not really typical of Canadian cities, especially outside the Prairies.

And the Bluenose was actually put on the dime, not the nickel. And still is.

I might consider it like Toronto and Ottawa - close together in distance, but different vibe altogether. The cities have different mindsets and focus. Toronto and Quebec City definitely don't aspire to take their cues from the rest of Canada. They aspire to be different from it.

Or Calgary and Edmonton. Calgary is much more American-feeling in terms of vibe, while Edmonton is more Canadian.

Most Canadian: Ottawa and Edmonton

Least Canadian: Windsor, Victoria and St. John’s

I will surprise even myself as I have long referred to Montreal as the quintessential Canadian city, but I think that (in spite of allusions in Quebec to its imminent anglicization) Montreal is probably too "French" (or at least "Québécois") to place anywhere near the top of the Most Canadian list.

If I look around most of the country today, from Halifax to Vancouver via Winnipeg and Ottawa (and maybe even St. John's), if there are any big city cues taken from a Canadian metropolis, they're coming from Toronto. Not Montreal. Except for Quebec, across the country if anything from the local dining and foodie scene to the relationship to immigration and diversity "smacks" of anything, it smacks of a mini-Toronto, not a mini-Montreal.

For all the rhetoric about the bizarreness and deficiencies of the metropolis-hinterland relationship between Toronto and the ROC (also one of my favourite talking points!), there is a definitely a rapport there that does not exist with Montreal.

Ottawa and Moncton are today the outermost limits outside Quebec of any tangible influence of Montreal as a metropolis, and even in those two places I'd argue Toronto carries considerably more weight at this point.

Growing up in Calgary but visiting family in Toronto pretty much every summer, I always considered Southern Ontario to better fit my stereotypical idea of "Canadian". Calgary didn't particularly feel this way as the climate always seemed at odds with "the East".

I'd agree with most posters that Ottawa-Gatineau is up there, but I may actually put Toronto first. Acajack summed up why quite well. I'm also increasingly of a mind that there probably have to be two distinct answers to this one...

I look at this question from the standpoint of a host wanting to show a visitor from abroad the "real Canada". If I wanted to do that, where would I take them?

Probably Ottawa or Edmonton. Both are big and cosmopolitan but not obsessed with global status either. Neither one is especially regionally-oriented the way that Quebec, Victoria or St. John's might be. They both seem fairly representative of the types of places most Canadians live, in that someone from the GTA suburbs as well as someone from a smaller place like Lloydminster or Brockville wouldn't feel out of place there.

"Least Canadian" is much tougher. If I wanted to show a visitor a place that is not really representative of Canada, not many places readily come to mind. Maybe Niagara Falls, just because of its weird combination of heavy tourism and depressed industrial town vibes, combined with its location right on the US border?

I actually started a similar thread on which place is a "microcosm" of Canada a few years ago. Though I did not touch upon the "least Canadian" city, which is an interesting angle.

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...ight=microcosm

For this thread, I don't think there is a better answer to "Most Canadian" than Ottawa(-Gatineau).

Its demographics are quite representative of the country as a whole (as close as you're gonna get), and at least in its capital-esque aspects it tries hard to be representative. On a municipal level it's a bit of a different story, and both Ottawa and Gatineau generally tend to be run as if they were just run-of-the-mill cities in Ontario and Quebec.

In terms of activities, there aren't many metros in the country where you have Québécois sugar shacks and bars with chansonniers, Scottish Highland Games, country music festivals, Chinese dragon boat races, indigenous festivals, plentiful live theatre in both English and French, passion for curling and the CFL, Newfoundland pubs and stores, etc.

Plus the region has a Dfb climate which is the classic Canadian climate which means abundant snow and ice in the winter with stereotypical Canadiana like backyard skating rinks, ice fishing, snowmobiling, skiing, etc. part of the local culture in the winter.

Toronto may be where Canada is going (kicking and screaming?), but I definitely would not choose it as Most Canadian at the moment.

Like esquire I am having more trouble picking the Least Canadian city. And Toronto's actually on my short list. But the reasons for a city being on or off that list vary greatly.

the descriptor 'Canadien' existed long before it was applied to points west of New France, and appropriated by non francophones.

If I state that Montreal is the most 'Canadian' (Canadien) place, it is only because I wish more places in Canada had the urban fabric and linguistic mixture that makes Montreal what it is.

You make a great case for Ottawa. To the point where I think you may have swayed me.

What really makes a smaller city a must for "most Canadian" is the willingness to embrace smaller, more home-spun things that the big 3 would ignore, like local country music, curling and such. There's a reason Toronto never hosts the Brier anymore, for example.

Ottawa gives off the "big, important city" vibes but it also seems capable of relaxing and having a good time without worrying too much about image. I like that trait.

Love the Niagara Falls suggestion for least.

Nothing to add but this thread is fascinating to read.

As you know, my vision aligns with yours. But I am fighting it in my responses to this thread.

I would also agree that Ottawa is the most Canadian city. Like others mentioned it feels like its at crossroads and influents by English and French Canada.

Its also surrounded by Canadian-like natural setting.

I think Montreal is the most Canadian out of the biggest cities.

I have tried very hard to resist the temptation of not attributing Most/Least Canadian status based primarily on places that are perceived as being most or least influenced by or similar to the U.S.

Because if we were to go by those metrics only, places like Quebec City, Montreal and St. John's would be the most Canadian places.

As such, there are almost two ways of looking at this.

In terms of life as typically experienced by most Canadians, it would be hard not to pick a place in English-speaking Canada (perhaps in southern Ontario) as the "most Canadian".

Like it or not, spending Dec. 31 with Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve is a more common partaking for more Canadians than indulging in Le Bye Bye is.

The other angle of course is places where life is more focused on pursuits and interests that are native to Canada and not necessarily (as) common in other places.

Yep. I think we can nearly all agree that one of these two ways yields Ottawa and Moncton as top candidates for "most Canadian".

Since I am a native French speaker and Québécois culture is very familiar to me, I don't happen to feel I am in a non-Canadian place when in Quebec City. Or Chicoutimi or Rimouski.

Just because the "Canadian" label is discreet or even replaced by a Québécois one doesn't mean that what I am surrounded by is not "of Canada".

If I let my guard down a bit when it comes what I've said in this thread, I'd say places in Anglo-Canada that are highly Americanized generally feel less Canadian to me. Especially ones that are closer to the border.

Sometimes when I am there it feels like a ton of foreign stuff has simply skipped over the border. (I realize that Canada shares a lot of things in common with the U.S. We've discussed that ad nauseam here. But sometimes, especially in some places, the acculturation just seems a bit over the top.)

The "Frenchness" of Quebec City has been alluded to as non-Canadian on here, but to me at least, highly francophone places in Canada don't feel anywhere near as "imported French" as places like Windsor or Niagara feel "imported American".

Just read only a few of these posts... I think everyone would agree, this thread highlights one of the best things about Canada, how very diverse it is that stretches right across the country!

Yep, if we choose as our metric of Canadianness that we're looking for the place that has the highest % of Canadian/homegrown features, cultural traits, and habits, while having the lowest % of foreign/imported features, cultural traits, and habits, among major Canadian cities I think it's clear Quebec City is on top, Montreal second. In southern Canada at least (which is pretty much the same thing as saying we're only looking at major cities).

Least Canadian:
Calgary
-geography: not on a commercially navigable waterway, high altitude, straddles a transition from plains to mountains neither of which are traditionally Canadian landscapes, big hills, not set in a forest, far from US border, very far from major US population
-climate: arid, sunny, rapidly changing, highly reliant on man made water supply infrastructure
-history: very recently explored and settled,not explored by boat, never part of a British or French colony, no connection to fur trade, most influential figures were not connected to government, early history dominated by an American like homesteading boom engineered by a railway company
-economy: railways, ranching and oil are industries associated with the USA, not Canada. Economy never built on protectionism. Boom and bust against a country that seeks moderation and stability. Economic cycles generally out of sync with rest of country
-culture (biggest difference): self invented city built around capitalism rather than around institutions and therefore strongly influenced by external economic factors like the price of oil. Post modern in the sense that influences are not local - commonality with other invented cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas. Minimal provincial and federal government presence. Didn't have a university until the 1960s. Didn't experience significant influx of residents from outside of AB of SK until the late 70's
-politics: lack of relevance of traditional Canadian insitituions like the Tory or Liberal parties. Birthplace of upstart political movements like Social Credit, CCF and Reform. Traditionally Canadian political foundations like distinctiveness from the USA and French - English relations have never held much currency

Kelowna
-geography: very western US like, surrounded by mountains on a land locked lake (Okanagan River cannot carry commercial traffic from the Columbia), built up hillsides, not sited on a mainline transportation corridor
-climate: arid, climate actually attracts residents
-history: very recently explored and settled
-economy: originally built around orchards and forestry, more recently on wealthy residents moving in from elsewhere many of whom earn little active income
-culture: also post-modern as largely shaped by external events like Vancouver housing prices
-politics: also largely outside the influence of traditional Canadian institutions, very non-Canadian like polarization more similar to US west coast

Most is easy:

Whistler
Mississauga
Asbestos

Needs no explanation.

Least is more difficult. If something is less Canadian, it implies that Canada would be more Canadian without it. Given that Canada's Canadianess is derived from all of its parts, it can't be more Canadian with less Canadian parts. I'll instead re-frame least Canadian as most not-Canadian and tell you the not-Canadian part.

Winnipeg, Canada's most South African city.
Whistler, Canada's most Australian city.
Niagara Falls, as Canada's worst city, is our most American.

Most Canadian are Edmonton, Winnipeg and Montreal. All 3 have the harsh winters the world associates with Canada and the local take it with a smile. Montreal is the heart of French Canada and is an indelible part of our social and cultural fabric.

The Least Canadian are Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna. BC doesn't usually get the harsh weather that the rest of the country does and the residents are quite soft to it. All 3 of these cities act like they are in California or on the Mediterranean and rarely shut up about it lol. The people are still nice, but there is a snobbyness to it.

Most:

London. London is "middle Canada" economically, demographically, and socially. This is why London has always been Canada's "test market city". If it is appealing to Londoners it can be applied elsewhere. This is why it has one of the first McDonalds', the first TV cable service in Canada, and the first downtown mall in NA. London, like Canadians, are reserved but progressive and the city has ALWAYS been a Liberal bastion support Canada's "natural governing party".
Montreal. Cold, snowy, and blends French, English, and ethnic/racial minorities.
Winnipeg. Very cold, snowy, embraces it's winters, sprawl but a strong downtown, and a leftist, progressive mindset.

Least:
St.John's. Totally different mindset, history, culture.
Toronto. It's exceptionally cosmopolitan nature does not reflect the reality of the rest of the country.
Van/Vic. Different climate, looks to Asia/China while the rest of the country still looks back to Europe. huge Chinese population, thinks it's California.

Quebec City is one of the cradles of what would eventually become modern day Canada. I believe that Toronto is not Toronto, global, multicultural and cosmopolitan, without there first having been a Quebec City.

Unknown to some, Les Canadiens is not an ode to the country but rather to the inhabitants (Habs) of New France that pre-dated confederation.

Most Canadian - Quebec City.

But it really depends on context. If this is about which cities are most "on brand," (aka The World Needs More Canada or whatever) then fine - Least Canadian - Quebec City.

I suppose the city that most demographically represents Canada would most likely be Ottawa.