National Capital Region (Canada)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National Capital Region is an official federal designation for the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, the neighboring city of Gatineau, Quebec, and the surrounding area. Also known as Ottawa-Gatineau (or previously Ottawa-Hull), the National Capital Region has a total population of 1,130,761[1] (2006), and consists of an area of 5,319 square kilometres that straddles the boundary between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is the only metropolitan area in Canada that crosses a provincial boundary.

The National Capital Region is not a separate political jurisdiction, although the National Capital Commission is deeply involved in political, cultural, and land use planning matters in the National Capital Region. Proposals have sometimes been made to separate the National Capital Region from its two respective provinces, and transform it into a separate administrative area, like the District of Columbia, USA, or the Australian Capital Territory. Such proposals have never come close to passage, and there does not currently appear to be any political will or necessity to pursue this option.

In 2006, the National Capital Commission completed work on the long-discussed "Confederation Boulevard", a ceremonial route linking key attractions in National Capital Region on both sides of the Ottawa River.[2]

The area of the National Capital Region is very similar to that of the Ottawa-Gatineau Census Metropolitan Area, although the National Capital Region contains a number of small neighbouring communities that are not contained within the CMA.

Contents

[edit] Cities, towns, and populations within Ottawa-Gatineau CMA

Source: 2006 Census of Canada[3]

City or Town Population
Ontario
Clarence-Rockland 20,790
Ottawa 812,129
Russell 13,883
Quebec
Cantley 7,926
Chelsea 6,703
Denholm 604
Gatineau 242,124
La Pêche 7,477
L'Ange-Gardien 4,348
Pontiac 5,238
Val-des-Monts 9,539

[edit] Other towns within National Capital Region

While not officially in the CMA, the following municipalities (most of which are adjacent to the CMA) are included in the National Capital Region, due to their close economic and social ties with Ottawa.

Municipality Population
Ontario
Alfred and Plantagenet 8,654
Arnprior 7,158
Beckwith 6,387
Carleton Place 9,453
Casselman 3,294
Mississippi Mills 11,734
North Dundas 11,095
North Grenville 14,198
North Stormont 6,769
The Nation 10,643
Quebec
Lochaber 456
Lochaber-Partie-Ouest 477
Low 852
Montebello 1,039
Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette 706
Papineauville 2,247
Plaisance 1,004
Thurso 2,436

[edit] References

  1. ^ The sum of the populations of all the municipalities in the national capital region in the 2006 Census
  2. ^ Confederation Boulevard, National Capital Commission Web site. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
  3. ^ Statistics Canada. 2006 Census data

[edit] External links