1. What city and province (or territory) do you live in? Is it a big city, small town, or out in the country?
I live in London, ONtario.  It is in the southwestern part of Ontario down in between the Great Lakes of Huron, Ontario and Erie.    The population is about 380,000 and so is considered a fairly big city. 

2. What is the weather like where you are? Is it very cold?
We have all four seasons just like up state New York.   In the winter it can be as cold as -30 degrees celcius.   That’s about -22 Farenheit.  This winter we have lots of snow!  Just this week 2 feet of snow fell all in 2 days.   It took all day to shovel our driveways!

In the spring time it is usually around 15 C  (59F)  and in summer can be as hot as 35 C (95F).  In the fall it is beautiful – so many colours on the trees and usually sunny and about 15 C again.   
Usually when winter ends, our spring season is very short.  It starts late in April and by end of May things are starting to heat up. By end of May it starts to get really hot and humid from May through to August.  In September, it starts to get nice again until late October when the weather gets cooler at about 5 to 10 C (40-50F).   December we are getting really cold days and that lasts through to February.

3. What kind of animals do you see?
We have lots of animals but I don’t think there is anything very interesting.  Maybe just because I’m used to them!   We have different kinds of birds but mostly plain ones.  The most interesting are cardinals, blue jays, humming birds and yellow birds.   We have one called Kildeer too which makes a sound like it’s called.  They run on the ground screeching “Kildee, kildee”.   They have long legs and are brown colour. 
We have lots of cows in the country side and some horses, pigs, sheep.   Many people have dogs for pets and cats.   Oh yes – we have lots of bunnies running around in our back yards and lots of squirrels.

4. What are some of the most beautiful things about where you live?
I think it is the Great Lakes.  I grew up just one mile from Lake Huron where the most beautiful sunsets are.  Now, I am about a 45 minute drive from that same lake and I love to go there in the summer evenings.  The beaches are beautiful and during spring and summer, boating and fishing are very popular.   The water gets very warm in summer and people like to swim and water ski too.   

5. What do you or people you know do for fun?
Our city is not known for a lot of activities but it is growing in that respect.  We have a fairly new concert/arena /stadium facility and so get lots of good music talent as well as sporting events.  So, that is popular – it’s called the John Labatt Centre and is attracting some interesting entertainment talents  such is Lenny Kravitz,  Martina Mcbride and David Copperfield.
Outdoor activities are also popular – skiiing,  water sports,  hockey, soccer, baseball and golfing.

6. What sports are popular in your area?
We are home to the London Knights hockey team – hockey is very popular. My son’s high school has won the Ontario High School Association hockey tournaments the last couple of years.  They have also competed and won the soccer high school tournaments.  
Soccer and hockey are very popular – children start playing as young as 5 years of age and there are plenty of adult teams so they keep playing all through their lives.  

7. What kind of music is popular or important to your area?
Country music is very popular through all generations.  For the teenagers, pop and rap are popular.  

8. How do people use the environment for enjoyment?
Again, the Great Lakes are  a valuable resource to Southwestern Ontario  that we are trying to protect.   

10. What is an environmental concern where you live, and what’s being done to fix it?
Our city is growing quickly and so with the increasing population comes a concern for air polution.   There are many incentives for use of public transit and for car pooling.  Websites have been created for people to search for car pooling options in their neighbourhood.  Our university tuition includes a fee for use of public transit to encourage students to not drive everywhere.  There are tax programs designed to improve and increase the public transit in London which means more peopel want to use it. 
Energy consumption is also a concern and so we have daylight savings time as well as participation in a program called “earth hour”.  At 8:00 pm on March 29, 2008  our city will participate in Earth Hour where everyone is encourage to turn off non-essential lights.   This really saves energy.   Also, Ontario will ban the sale of inefficient incandescent light bulbs by 2012.  Our government expects that replacing the 87 million incandescent bulbs in use across Ontario with more efficient bulbs would save six million megawatt hours every year — enough to power 600,000 homes.

We are concerned about the earth too – On June 12, 2006, the City of London passed a By-law to regulate the use of pesticides on all public and private property except under certain conditions. The Pesticide By-law applies to everyone including commercial applicators, private residents, golf courses and property managers.  

One other program we have in London is called “Green and Clean”  .  One day each spring is for volunteers to join in an annual clean up day.  Usually 4,000 to 5000 volunteers clean up litter, remove graffiti and plant trees to more than 100 sites across our city.  

Finally , here is the web link to our “Clear Network” which is where Londoners can go to get all kinds of environmental information – information to help us to be more aware and environmentally friendly.   http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Environment/Air_Quality_main.htm

Lastly, the big question(s) related to your region:

Ontario – How has the huge population of Ontario affected nature? As the population continues to increase and spread out, what is being done to minimize human impact in your region? 

Please see my notes under your question # 10 above.   Most cities in Ontario have an environment awareness offices and it is a growing concern with growing participation.   I work at the University of Western Ontario and there are save the environment programs all the time.  Recently,  we have introduced reusable Tim Horton’s coffee mugs on campus.  Everyone has one instead of using thousands of paper Tim Horton’s coffee cups daily on our university campus alone.  (Tim Hortons is Canadian’s coffee shop of choice and so this is making a big difference to our landfills) 

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions!

YOu are very welcome.  And, thank you again for your interest in Canada!  We are proud to be your neighbour.

1. What city and province (or territory) do you live in? Is it a big city, small town, or out in the country?
I live in London, Ontario, Canada. It is a fairly big city just south of Lake Huron and north of Lake Erie. I think our population is now over 350,000 people.

2. What is the weather like where you are? Is it very cold?
In the winter it is very cold because the moisture in the air from the Great Lakes and the wind chill makes it seem colder. We measure our temperature in Celcius. Freezing is 32* Farinheit but 0* Celcius. It is usually about -10*C in the winter. But in the summer the opposite is true. It seems even hotter than it is because of the humidity. It is usually over 80* F. or over 25*C. in the summer. But we usually have breezes from the lakes.

3. What kind of animals do you see?
Well we see lots of cats and dogs!!! But I think you mean wild animals. I see lots of rabbits, squirrels, gophers, raccoons, and Canada geese and mallard ducks out my back window. There are lots of deer here but not as many as in Ithaca!! We have black bears in the woods but they live about 100 kilometers up north of here where there are not so many people. And moose and wolves and beavers live up north as well.

4. What are some of the most beautiful things about where you live?
I love the four seasons. I love the Great Lakes. We can walk on beaches with just a half hour drive! We are so fortunate to have them because it means we do not usually have water shortages unless it is dry in the summer. So this means our grass and fields stay pretty green. Also I like the people because most of them are polite and friendly.

5. What do you or people you know do for fun?
Most of the young people go to the malls and the shows. We have soooo many malls. I do not like malls or shows so I visit with my friends and family. I also walk a lot and visit parks. And I really love to garden. In the summer we drive to the beach.

6. What sports are popular in your area?
Well hockey is for sure the most popular sport. But we have lots of football, baseball, soccer leagues as well. We even have lacrosse teams. Many people bowl in the winter and curl. I love to play golf. Many people love to swim and we have lots of indoor pools for the winter.

7. What kind of music is popular or important to your area?
We have many people from different countries come to live in London so we have lots of Scottish music with bagpipes, and Italian and Portuguese and Arab music as well at their special clubs. But mostly we have the same music as you. We have a lot of famous Canadian singers like Brian Adams and Celene Dion and Shania Twain and Avril Lavine. We have a symphony orchestra in London that plays every month but I have never gone!

8. How do people use the environment for enjoyment?
We have many Provincial Parks for people to go camping or just enjoy the trails, and woods and beaches for the day. Many parks have special board walks through the marshes and woods so we can go birdwatching. We also have Niagara Falls which is a spectacular place to visit. The falls are awesome to see. We have many boats on the water for fishing and sightseeing. We also have lots of hills and small mountains for skiing and snowboarding. In the winter when it gets very cold, we can skate on our ponds and small lakes. We have the Thames River here in London with bike paths all along the shore. Many people use these paths for roller blades too.

9. How do people use the environment for resources?
Well Niagara Falls is probably our most famous resource. There are power plants there to use the mighty force of the water going over the falls for electricity. The generators there also supply much of New York State with power. We have recently built many wind generators in many Ontario locations to supplement the need for power. We also have several nuclear power plants far away from big cities. Niagara Falls also has a very rich tourist industry. We have a lot of mines in northern Ontario for nickle, and many metals. We also have a large fishing industry in the Great Lakes. We do not use our forests as much for wood as they do out in British Columbia. We have a lot of farms that produce food for the local people. We do not export too much food because we have such a short growing season compared to Florida and California. We have lots of ski resorts in the winter and lodges up north in Muskoka for families to enjoy the lakes and forests in the summer.

10. What is an environmental concern where you live, and what’s being done to fix it?
I think global warming is a big concern for everyone in North America. We are just as bad as everyone else with using our cars needlessly, leaving them running to clear the windows in winter and driving students to school instead of letting them walk and get the exercise. In our schools and in the newspapers we have lots of reminders to use public transportation and carpool. I don’t think it is working as well as it should though. We had a problem with Great Lakes pollution especially from industries on the shores, but that has really been cleaned up with government agencies patroling and fining the culprits. The air pollution however is still a concern from these factories, many of them from the United States in Detroit and Cleveland. We also have a problem with over-fishing in the lakes. They are trying to restock where it is a danger. We have specific seasons to fish and hunt to protect the wildlife.

11. How has the huge population of Ontario affected nature? As the population continues to increase and spread out, what is being done to minimize human impact in your region?
Well just in my community, a conservation group has put a stop to building more houses until proper tunnels under bridges are made for the animals!!! But generally I think there is too much building, too quickly, and the wildlife is forced out of their homes. They had a segment on the news last night with ducks and geese nesting in parking lots since their homes had been paved over. People were bringing them food and water but the wildlife officer was angry because this only makes it more dangerous for their babies. They do not think people should tame these wild creatures. And the food was not natural to the birds. In Toronto there are so many cars going to work each day that there are traffic jams on many roads and hiways. This increases the pollution because the cars are just sitting there putting so much poison into the air. They need to build roads to suit the population. The government says it will do something about it but it is too slow. The people that get elected need to really stick to their schedule.

1. What city and province (or territory) do you live in? Is it a big city, small town, or out in the country?
I live in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut. It’s a small city of 6000 and sits on the banks of Frobisher bay.

2. What is the weather like where you are? Is it very cold?
It is an Arctic climate with temperatures into the -60 celcius range. It’s windy most of the time, with huge snowfalls for 9 months of the year.

3. What kind of animals do you see?
Polar bears, wolves, foxes, hares, tarmigan, ravens and buntings (a small bird), and caribou.

4. What are some of the most beautiful things about where you live?
The scenery, the mountainous region, the people, the quiet, the freedom.

5. What do you or people you know do for fun?
Snowmobiling, dog sledding, skiing and snowboarding.

6. What sports are popular in your area?
Hockey and baseball.

7. What kind of music is popular or important to your area?
All kinds.

8. How do people use the environment for enjoyment?
Snowmobiling, dog sledding, skiing and snowboarding (same as question 5).

9. How do people use the environment for resources?
Hunting, trapping, guiding, soapstone and granite carving.

10. What is an environmental concern where you live, and what’s being done to fix it?
Concerns include garbage disposal, recycling & composting (a new facility has been built), and sewer treatment (a new facility has also been built).