Different Places and Distinctive People

Abstract

Introduction This issue of the Journal of Canadian Studies presents a variety of perspectives on how we define differences and distinctions: in places, nations and citizens. We begin with one of the most distinctive places in Canada - its ragged western edge. The prospect of oil and gas development amongst these unique fjords and islands inevitably arouses concerns: that it would endanger this environment, or that the pro-business government in British Columbia would fail to regulate it effectively. J.D. House argues, however, that this region is not so distinctive that it would not benefit from experience elsewhere. On the east coast, two provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia, have lived for decades with offshore development. They have encountered major challenges adjusting to economic and social changes, while protecting the environment and the workers from harm - but they have also found ways to address these, balancing market forces, political priorities and the interests of local communities. British Columbia, according to House, now has an opportunity to learn from this experience, and to create the most progressive possible regime for offshore development. Regional economic development efforts often focus not on natural resources, but on attracting corporate investment. The challenge is in defining what, beyond oil or other tangible commodities, makes a region distinctive, and therefore attractive to corporations prepared, in an era of globalization, to invest anywhere. Adrian van den Hoven examines this challenge through a detailed comparison of economic development in the Alpes-Maritimes region of France and in British Columbia. In both places the hoped-for outcome was the formation of "clusters" of economic activity, particularly in high-technology industries. With this aim, governments emphasized regional advantages - transportation networks, educational facilities, lifestyle - in order to build the next Silicon Valley, or, at least, a more diversified local economy. Van den Hoven's account is especially interesting because of the contrast between the success of the Alpes-Maritimes region and the more modest record in British Columbia; however, his account goes beyond identifying success and failure by exploring the subtle factors that shape a region's distinctive economic identity: market forces, policies and the character of communities and the natural environment. Claire Campbell engages in her own exploration of regional identity, examining the cultural and historical meanings of Ontario's Georgian Bay. She traces how this region gained its distinctive identity, as defined by visitors who drew on ideas of Romantic nature - all sublime sunsets and virgin groves - and how this identity, infused with an appreciation for the place itself, was disseminated through art, literature and tales of cottage life, becoming an icon, rendered in rock and pine, of northern Ontario, and ultimately, of Canada. …