LIVING & WORKING IN ONTARIO

In this unit we are learning about:

• Land Use and the Environment:

B1.1 describe some major connections between features of the natural environment of a region and the type of land use and/or the type of community that is established in that region (e.g., ports on lakes or major rivers; farming on flat land with fertile soil; resource towns in areas with ore, trees, or other natural resources) 

B1.2 describe some major connections between features of the natural environment and the type of employment that is available in a region, with reference to two or more municipal regions, including First Nations communities and/or Métis regions, in Ontario (e.g., in the District Municipality of Muskoka, which is known for its lakes, beaches, and many islands, some of the employment opportunities are seasonal jobs in the recreation industry; Dryden and its surrounding area is heavily forested, so there are a number of employment opportunities in the pulp and paper industry; the natural attraction of Niagara Falls led to the development of the area around it as a tourist centre, so the region offers many jobs in tourist and service industries; Bkejwanong Territory, also known as Walpole Island First Nation, is known for its biodiversity and some residents support their families through activities such as hunting, fishing, and trapping) 

B1.3 identify and describe some of the main patterns in population distribution and land use in two or more municipal regions in Ontario, including First Nations communities and/or Métis regions, using mapping and globe skills (e.g., read city maps to extract information on how much land is used for residential, transportation, and recreational purposes; read digital provincial land-use and/or agricultural maps to identify population patterns in agricultural areas; create a thematic map to show how land used for commercial purposes often exists in specific pockets within areas with large populations) 

• The Impact of Land and Resource Use:

B2.1 formulate questions to guide investigations into some of the short- and/or long-term effects on the environment of different types of land and/or resource use in two or more municipal regions of Ontario, including First Nations communities and/or Métis regions (e.g., the impact of mining, forestry, agriculture, suburban land development, First Nation[s] and Métis involvement in land-use planning) and measures taken to reduce the negative impact of that use 

B2.2 gather and organize a variety of data and information on the environmental effects of different land and/or resource use and measures taken to reduce the negative impact of that use (e.g., photographs, oral histories, resource books, magazines, online articles; information from regional conservation authorities or provincial and national park websites; information from municipalities on recycling; an interview with a First Nation, Métis, or Inuit individual or group with Indigenous ecological knowledge about a region and their observations on changes in that region; information from a website sharing Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing) 

B2.3 analyse and construct print and digital maps, including thematic maps, as part of their investigations into the environmental impact of land and/or resource use in different municipal regions, including First Nations communities and/or Métis regions (e.g., use maps and atlases to locate information about the spatial boundaries of municipal areas / First Nation communities / Métis regions and the different land uses within them; use an interactive atlas to identify natural resources in your local area) 

B2.4 interpret and analyse information and data relevant to their investigations, using a variety of tools (e.g., use a graphic organizer to help them determine the environmental impact of an aggregate mine; plot trends in forest cover of a municipal region on a line or bar graph and compare it to a graph showing land-use trends for the same municipal region) 

B2.5 evaluate evidence and draw conclusions about some of the short- and long-term effects on the environment of different types of land use in municipal regions of Ontario, including First Nations communities and/or Métis regions, and about key measures to reduce the negative impact of that use 

B2.6 communicate the results of their inquiries, using appropriate vocabulary (e.g., municipality, county, reserve, traditional territory, stewardship, restoration, population, pollution, deforestation, rehabilitation, public transportation, ecological footprint, natural resources, Indigenous ecological knowledge [IEK]) and formats (e.g., a plan of action to address a local land-use issue; a cooperatively produced book of photos showing the environmental impact of a mine; with proper permission, a sketchnote of a story told by an individual with community connections and expertise, such as a local Elder, Métis Senator, Knowledge Keeper, Knowledge Holder, or Traditional Teacher, about their community’s or nation’s relationship with the land; a report on the benefits of forestry in provincial parks; song lyrics, a rap, or a poem about the effects of industrial pollution on a local waterway; an informational poster on what individuals can do to reduce their ecological footprint) 

• Regions and Land Use in Ontario:

B3.1 demonstrate an understanding that Ontario is divided into different municipal or regional entities (i.e., cities, towns, townships, villages, counties, First Nations communities, Métis regions), and that local governments within these entities provide specific services and regulate development according to local needs (e.g., elected municipal governments deal with local issues and needs; First Nations have an elected chief and council and/or hereditary chiefs; the Métis Nation of Ontario has elected councillors from the Provisional Council [PCMNO], which represents the community and regional interests of Métis citizens; different municipalities have different laws or policies relating to land development) 

B3.2 demonstrate an understanding that political maps, both print and digital, use different typographical styles to indicate different types of entities (e.g., boldface capitals for a country [CANADA], capitals for a province [ONTARIO], and lowercase for a city [Sudbury]) 

B3.3 identify the major landform regions in Ontario (e.g., the Canadian Shield, the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands, the Hudson Bay Lowlands), and describe the major characteristics that make each distinct 

B3.4 identify and describe the main types of employment that are available in two or more municipal regions in Ontario, including First Nations communities and/or Métis regions (e.g., jobs dependent on natural resources; jobs in manufacturing, tourism and recreation, the service sector, education, the arts, traditional and/or political government; jobs in conservation, stewardship, and/or land restoration) 

B3.5 describe major types of land use (e.g., for agriculture, industry, commerce, housing, recreation, transportation, conservation) and how they address human needs and wants (e.g., agricultural lands provide us with a variety of foods for local consumption and export; lakes provide traditional foods like fish and wild rice; the forest offers plant medicines; land use for recreation enables people to enjoy the outdoors and to participate in or watch sports and other activities; residential areas have different types of buildings to meet people’s housing needs; conservation lands protect ecosystems and habitat for organisms so that biodiversity is preserved for future generations; untouched wetlands help ensure clean water and a healthy habitat) 

B3.6 compare some aspects of land use in two or more municipalities, including First Nations communities and/or Métis regions (e.g., the number and size of roads; the size and location of commercial areas; the location and types of housing; the proximity of residential and commercial/industrial areas; the size and number of parks and other recreational spaces; space for waste disposal; the amount of agricultural land in the area; the amount of open space) 

B3.7 construct print and/or digital maps that show some different land uses, landform regions, and/or municipalities in Ontario, including First Nations communities and/or Métis regions, using appropriate elements of a map, including standard units of measurement (e.g., use an online atlas or mapping program to create a map showing the major cities in Ontario, with a scale in kilometres; create a map showing the location of major landform regions in the province; create a map showing traditional territory and existing First Nations communities; create a map showing the Métis regions in Ontario)