The Post-Apocalyptic Roadmap/Canada

Part of the Post-Apocalyptic Roadmap Project.

Eastern Canada

Hmm... I wonder how Toronto would fare. It is a huge (for Canada) city, but... I don't think it has much military, or political importance (on a international stage). It has tons of economic importance, but I don't imagine that be as important for the initial strikes.

Perchance, Toronto doesn't get hit. That would become then a mecca for survivors from both Canada (Ottawa, and our military towns/cities (especially the big ones in Quebec) and the Northern States.

With its access to the Great Lakes and then St. Lawrence (could hit up any surviving US cities along the way) and then Atlantic Ocean and major airports it could become a major Trade city from the get-go. Most likely mainly with ships and not aircraft.

To add to that, it is also incredibly multicultural we could see race riots break out in places like Chinatown as the populace finds out who dropped the bombs.

Alberta

Calgary is globally notable for one reason only. It has a large number of corporate headquarters regarding the oil fields projects. A strike to downtown could decapitate a number of Canadian oil producers. On the other hand, Edmonton is the provincial capital (legislature, &c) and also has a large number of corporations located there. It it decently close to an army base (which might attract some missiles).

Were Edmonton or Calgary hit with a nuclear explosion, damage would not be as great as most other cities. Fallout would be blown away from strong winds which blow across the prairies, and probably sucked into the jetstream that blows across North America. Both cities are extremely spread out, with a relatively small downtown for both cities. Residential areas are almost exclusively low-density, and the downtown area is almost exclusively commercial as well. Edmonton has a large military garrison north of it, as well as an air force base and army base 300km northeast of it. Alberta would definitely be a target during any major war, since it has the worlds second most oil reserves, beaten only by Saudi Arabia. Any survivors would probably flee southwards, or head north to homestead, trying to flee the chaos and violence that would ensue from local anarchy. Northern Alberta would be filled with roughnecks (oil workers; due to Alberta's vast oil wealth, it brings a LOT of high paying, physical jobs, especially in the relatively isolated northern Alberta. This attracts people who need/desire lots of money, and who will endure bad living conditions and hard work to get so.) Most likely, these people will become bandits or highwaymen, due to their brutish nature and lack of intelligence. One could even liken these people as barbarians of sorts, with a Mad Max-esque feel about them. With limited supplies up north for oil workers, raids and incursions on Edmonton and its surrounding farming communities would probably occur.

Politically, Albertans are predominantly fiscally conservative and, unlike some stereotypes, socially moderate. For those who don't know Albertans, think of a stereotypical Texan without the patriotic hubris or racial antagonism. Civilization would probably survive around the cities, but would probably devolve into a decentralized style of government if there was no central control from Eastern Canada remaining (highly probable). Edmonton would probably remain the capital, and Calgary and the smaller cities (Lethbridge, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, etc.) would join with them as well. Alberta is extremely resource rich, with vast reserves of oil (both oil sands and the more traditional oil derricks), large amounts of Natural Gas, large amounts of coal, high-quality farming land, and large supplies of water in Northern Alberta (southern Alberta has drought problems occasionally). With the Rocky Mountains to the west, and thousands of miles of plains to the south and east, Alberta would be pretty isolated from world events.

Terrain

Northern Alberta is heavily wooded, with wildlife mainly consisting of deer, rabbits, foxes, and the occasional black bear. The soil is extremely rich, and is mainly used to grow grain crops, such as wheat, canola, or rye. There is also a large cattle industry. Temperatures range from a 20-30 degrees Celsius during the summer, and anywhere from 0 to -40 degrees Celsius during the winter. Blizzards occur at least once a month during the winter, with winds howling up to 60 kilometers per hour, and factoring in windchill, can kill an exposed person within minutes. The further north you go, the colder it gets during the winter.

Southern Alberta is largely plains, with similar wildlife to northern alberta, sans bears. Crops grown are the same as northern Alberta, but the soil is poorer, but is great for grazing animals such as cows, bison, and even caribou. Southern Alberta is one of the most productive cattle markets on earth. Temperatures are just as extreme in the south as the north, but usually more windy.

Saskatchewan

I'm not a local of Saskatchewan, so perhaps if someone else would like to add to this section, please do so.

Saskatchewan is largely the same as Alberta, but without the large urban centres. It has very little political or economic power, however it produces large amounts of food and has been coined "the breadbasket of the world." Perhaps, if the bomb droppers were totally sadistic, they would drop bombs on the grain fields in order to cut the supply of grain and oilseeds to Canada, the United States, and other locations. Saskatchewan is much like the prairie states in the US, but is politically moderate.

British Columbia

I'm not a local of BC, so if you are please add and fix this part of the article.

Vancouver would probably be the main target of a nuclear weapon attack in Canada. It is Canada's only major Pacific seaport, and is one of the most commercially advanced cities on the Pacific rim. It is a high-density city, however, and a nuclear weapon would cause a lot of damage. Vancouver is similar to Seattle, and were both to survive the apocalypse, they would probably find themselves in a mutual protection pact of sorts. British Columbia is very hilly, and most of its population is situated on the coast. Northern British Columbia is heavily forested, and has very few people living throughout it. There is enough farmland around Vancouver to be self-sustainable, and has the nearby Pacific ocean as well, which is a highly fished area.