From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This partial list of provincial and territorial nicknames in Canada compiles the nicknames, sobriquets, and slogans that the provinces and territories are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to provincial and territorial governments, local people, outsiders, tourism boards, or chambers of commerce.

Provincial and territorial nicknames can help in establishing a provincial or territorial identity, helping outsiders recognize a community or attracting people to a community because of its nickname; promote provincial or territorial pride; and build community unity. They are also believed to have economic value, but their economic value is difficult to measure.

Some unofficial nicknames are positive, while others are derisive. The unofficial nicknames listed here have been in use for a long time or have gained wide use.

Provinces

Alberta

Official Nicknames/Slogans

Unofficial Nicknames/Slogans

  • "Texas of the North" — referring to Alberta's significance as an oil producer in Canada, similar to that of Texas to the US. The name is also used in reference to the province notably leaning to the political right, comparable to Texas. [5]

British Columbia

Official Nicknames/Slogans

  • "The Pacific Province" [4]
  • "Beautiful, British Columbia" — currently used on its license plates.
  • "B.C."

Former Nicknames/Slogans

  • "Super, Natural, British Columbia" — dated provincial slogan, formerly seen on license plates.

Unofficial Nicknames/Slogans

  • " The Left Coast" — a name shared with the U.S. West Coast, referring to the region notably leaning politically left. [6]
  • "British California" - a play on the initial of the province referring to its similarities with California in terms of culture, geography (particularly in the Lower Mainland), politics, and demographics. [7]
  • "Bring Cash" - a play on the initials of the province where the reference is about everything costing so much topped up by a higher sales tax (especially as compared to Alberta next door that only charges GST on goods and products)

Manitoba

Official Nicknames/Slogans

  • "The Keystone Province" — due to its position in the center of Canada. [8] [9] [10]
  • "Canada's Heart Beats" — Travel Manitoba's current slogan since 2014. [11]
  • "Friendly Manitoba" — currently used on its license plates.

Former Nicknames/Slogans

  • "The Postage Stamp Province" — in its original form upon joining Confederation, Manitoba's size and shape resembled a postage stamp when viewed a map of Canada. The name faded after the province's boundaries were extended in 1881 and 1912. [12] [10]
  • "The Land of 100,000 Lakes" — dated provincial slogan, formerly used in tourism campaigns; also formerly used on its license plates from 1971 to 1975.

Unofficial Nicknames/Slogans

  • "Manisnowba" — a blend between Manitoba and snow because of how snowy the province can get.
  • "The 204" [13] — referring to the province's original area code.
  • "Toba" — unofficial name used by several organizations. [14] [15] [16]

Ontario

Official Nicknames/Slogans

  • "The Heartland Province" [4]
  • "The Loyalist Province" — referring to Upper Canada (what is now Ontario) being one of the main destinations for Loyalists fleeing the United States during the American Revolution.
  • "Yours to Discover" (and French: Tant à Découvrir) — used on license plates issued since 1982.

Former Nicknames/Slogans

  • "The Province of Opportunity" — dated, official provincial slogan, formerly seen on provincial highway construction project signs.
  • " A Place to Stand" — after the eponymous 1967 film made for the provincial pavilion at Expo 67, later used for the unofficial provincial anthem.
  • "A Place to Grow" (and French: En plein essor) — briefly used on license plates in 2020, originally from the unofficial provincial anthem.

Unofficial Nicknames/Slogans

  • "Onterrible" - derived from former residents of Ontario, as well residents of other provinces

New Brunswick

Official Nicknames/Slogans

  • "The Bilingual Province" [17] — since the passing of The Official Languages Act in 1969, New Brunswick has officially been the only province in Canada to be bilingual in both English and French. New Brunswick also remains the only province whose provincial government is able to provide equal access to services for either English or French.

Former Nicknames/Slogans

Unofficial Nicknames/Slogans

  • "Petit Québec"
  • Irvingland

Newfoundland and Labrador

Official Nicknames/Slogans

Former Nicknames/Slogans

Nova Scotia

Official Nicknames/Slogans

  • "The Bluenose Province"
  • "The Sea Bound Coast" [4]
  • "Canada's Ocean Playground" — currently used on its license plates [19]
  • "Land of the Mi'kmaq" ( Miꞌkmaꞌki region) — referring to current-day Nova Scotia belonging to the Miꞌkmaꞌki region, the traditional land of the Miꞌkmaq; currently used on specialty license plates.

Prince Edward Island

Official Nicknames/Slogans

  • "Birthplace of Confederation" (and French: Berceau de la Confédération) — currently used on its license plates since 2013 (and formerly 1997 to 2007).
  • "Garden of the Gulf" [4] — referring to the Gulf of St. Lawrence; formerly used on its license plates from 1929-1930 and from 1962-1965. This nickname is still used in tourism boards and tourism campaigns.
  • "P.E.I."

Former Nicknames/Slogans

  • "The Garden Province" [20] or "Canada's Green Province" (and French: La province verte du Canada) — the former was used on its license plates from 1966 to 1972; the latter was used from 2007 to 2012.
  • "Home of Anne of Green Gables" — formerly used on its license plates from 1993 to 1997; refers to the titular character of the famous Anne of Green Gables novel coming from the fictional town of Avonlea in rural PEI.
  • "The Cradle of Confederation"

Unofficial Nicknames/Slogans

  • "Spud Island" [21] — due to the province being a significant producer of potatoes.

Québec

Official Nicknames/Slogans

  • "La Belle Province" [4] — formerly used on license plates from 1963 to 1977.
  • " Je me souviens" (French for 'I Remember') — official motto of Quebec, currently used on its license plates.

Former Nicknames/Slogans

  • "La Province des Fêtes" (French for "The Province of Festivals" or "The Festival Province")
  • "Je suis là" (French for 'I'm here') — formerly used on license plates.

Saskatchewan

Official Nicknames/Slogans

Former Nicknames/Slogans

  • "The Wheat Province" — formerly used on its license plates from 1951 to 1959.

Unofficial Nicknames/Slogans

  • "The Drive-Through Province" — used sarcastically by Canadians, describing it as a boring province to visit.

Territories

Names used for Northern Canada more broadly or shared between the three Canadian territories:

Northwest Territories

Official Nicknames/Slogans

Former Nicknames/Slogans

Nunavut

Official Nicknames/Slogans

  • "Our Land" — a simple translation of the Inuktitut word Nunavut. [4]

Yukon

Official Nicknames/Slogans

Former Nicknames/Slogans

  • "Home of the Klondike" — used on its license plates from 1971 to 1977.
  • "Land of the Midnight Sun" — used on its license plates from 1952 to 1970.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Alberta". Britannica Kids. Archived from the original on 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  2. ^ "The Province of Alberta (AB)". Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Alberta". Government of Canada Blog. 15 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Nicknames of Places in Canada and the United States". CashNetUSA Blog. 2019-11-18. Archived from the original on 2022-07-02. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  5. ^ "Friday's letters: Why Alberta is called Texas of the north". edmontonjournal. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  6. ^ Francis, Daniel. 2 September 2013. " Far Out on the Left Coast: British Columbia's Sense of Isolation and Belonging Archived 2022-04-17 at the Wayback Machine". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  7. ^ Walz, Jay (March 1970). "'B.C.' Occasionally Stands for 'British California'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  8. ^ "Manitoba". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2022-04-17. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  9. ^ Coates, Ken, and Fred McGuinness. 1988. The Keystone Province: An Illustrated History of Manitoba Enterprise. Burlington, ON: Windsor Publications. ISBN 0897812573.
  10. ^ a b "Manitoba Pageant: From Postage Stamp to Keystone". www.mhs.mb.ca. Archived from the original on 2022-04-17. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  11. ^ "Travel Manitoba, Canada: Start Planning Your Trip". Travel Manitoba. Archived from the original on 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  12. ^ Historic Resources Branch. "Postage Stamp Province | Manitoba Heritage Council Commemorative Plaques". gov.mb.ca. Archived from the original on 2021-12-23. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  13. ^ "What's in a number? New area code in the works for Manitoba - Winnipeg | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Archived from the original on 2022-04-17. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  14. ^ of 'Toba, Trails. "Trails of 'Toba - Your Adventure Awaits!". Trails of 'Toba. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  15. ^ "Home - Toba Centre for Children & Youth". tobacentre.ca. 2020-05-08. Archived from the original on 2022-04-15. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  16. ^ "Basketball Manitoba: Journey to Niagara: Team Toba Basketball Building Momentum for the 2022 Canada Summer Games". Basketball Manitoba. Archived from the original on 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  17. ^ "New Brunswick Official Languages Act (1969) | Compendium of Language Management in Canada (CLMC) – Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI)". clmc.uottawa.ca. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  18. ^ "Talking Travel Destination Canada Sandra Phinney Newfoundland Coast and Outports". Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Website Update - Nova Scotia Archives". Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  20. ^ McKenna, Peter. "The Politics of Gaming in the 'Garden Province'." Journal of Canadian Studies 41 (2007):51-74. doi: 10.3138/JCS.41.1.51.
  21. ^ "Prince Edward Island - Encyclopedia Britannica". 23 January 2024.
  22. ^ "About Studying in Canada - Study Canada". Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  23. ^ Bone, Robert M. 1974. "Canada’s Last Frontier: The North." Current History 66(392):161–84. JSTOR  45313053.
  24. ^ "Canada's Final Frontier: Understanding Arctic Sovereignty". The McGill Tribune. 2014-02-25. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  25. ^ a b "Midnight Sun". Archived from the original on 2018-02-27. Retrieved 2018-02-27.

External links

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