Page 182 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies
band council. A governance structure that is defined and mandated under the provisions within the Indian Act. A band council of a First Nation consists of an elected chief and councillors. See also band.
bias. An opinion, preference, prejudice,
or inclination that limits an individual’s or group’s ability to make fair, objective, or accurate judgements.
birth rate. The number of live births per thousand people in one year.
boreal forest. A zone dominated by coniferous trees. Canada’s largest biome, occupying
35 per cent of the total Canadian land area and 77 per cent of Canada’s total forest land, is boreal forest.
branches of government. In Canada, the three branches – executive, legislative, and judicial – that make up the federal and provincial governments. See also executive branch; judicial branch; legislative branch.
branch plant. Historically, a factory or office built in Canada by an American parent company whose head office remained in the United States. Branch plants were created primarily to avoid tariffs. They are now a global phenomenon. See also multinational corporation.
built environment. Features of the human environment that were created or altered by people (e.g., cities, transportation systems, buildings, parks, recreational facilities, landfill sites). See also human environment.
bylaw. A law or rule passed by a municipal council and applicable to that municipality.
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A part of the Constitution Act, 1982, the Charter guarantees Canadians fundamental freedoms as well as various rights, including democratic, mobility, legal, and equality rights. It recognizes the multicultural heritage of Canadians, and protects official language rights and the rights of Aboriginal Canadians.
Canadian Shield. A vast landform region
that extends from the Great Lakes and the
St. Lawrence River to the Arctic Ocean, covering almost half of Canada. It is characterized by Precambrian rock that is rich in minerals.
carbon offset. A way in which an emitter of greenhouse gases can prevent its emissions from increasing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations by paying someone else to reduce, avoid, or absorb an equal quantity of emissions.
cardinal directions. The four major points of the compass – N, S, E, and W. Cardinal directions can be subdivided into intermediate directions – NE, SE, NW, SW. Cardinal and intermediate directions are elements of mapping.
census metropolitan area (CMA). A statistical area classification, a CMA consists of one or more neighbouring municipalities situated around a major urban core. A CMA must have
a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more live in the urban core. As of 2011, there were 33 CMAs in Canada, which range in size from Toronto (the largest) to Peterborough (the smallest).
chief. One of many types of leaders, informal and formal, in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit societies, governments, and traditional govern- ance structures, past and present. Currently, under the Indian Act, there is an imposed governing system on reserves requiring each band to elect a chief and up to 12 councillors for a term of two years. See also Indian Act.
choropleth map. A map in which graded colours are used to illustrate the average values for
or quantities of something (e.g., population density, quality of life indicators, fresh water resources) in specific areas. See also map.
citizen. An inhabitant of a city, town, or country; also, a person who is legally entitled to exercise the rights and freedoms of the country in which he or she lives.
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