Captioned Canadian Capitals Trivia Quiz

Answer: Edmonton, AB

The origins of Edmonton as a city began with the establishment of Fort Edmonton in 1795 as a trading post for the Hudson Bay Company. The name was picked by William Tomison, who was in charge of its construction, for the home of the Lake family (HBC 'royalty') - Edmonton, Middlesex, England.

Edmonton was incorporated as a city in 1904, the year before Alberta joined Confederation. That happened on September 1st and with establishment as a province, Edmonton was named the capital.

"City of Champions" was a moniker applied to Edmonton by mayor Laurence Decore as an acknowledgment of the population's response after a deadly F4 tornado ripped through the area in 1987, killing 27 people and injuring hundreds more.

Answer: Halifax, NS

The beginnings of Halifax as a settlement was filled with strife. When Edward Cornwallis arrived with a small fleet of ships and over 1,000 colonists to establish Halifax in 1749, it was in direct violation of treaties with the indigenous Mi'kmaq that dated back to 1726. This led to hostilities that came to be known as Father Le Loutre's War.

Thus, Halifax was founded in 1749, taking over the job of capital of the colony from Annapolis Royal. It was named after the 2nd Earl of Halifax, who became known as the 'father of the colonies' for his efforts in expanding British overseas holdings. Incorporation as a city took place in 1842, and of course, Halifax remained the capital of the new province of Nova Scotia with Confederation in 1867.

The nickname "City of Trees" was already in use when Halifax achieved recognition for its conservation efforts by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (and the Arbor Day Foundation) and designated Halifax as one of the 'Tree Cities of the World.'

Answer: Winnipeg, MB

The confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers marks the beginnings of the City of Winnipeg. Long before Europeans came to the region, 'The Forks' were used as a trading and meeting place for the indigenous tribes of the area.

Thus, it was also the ideal location for the first trading post (Fort Rouge) established by French traders in 1738 and for the Selkirk settlers to choose in 1812. Winnipeg was incorporated as a city in 1873, shortly after Manitoba joined Confederation (1870). The name 'Winnipeg' came from the Cree reference to the Red River and its 'muddy waters.'

When the Canadian government wanted to secure its claims on the Western half of the country, they encouraged settlers and entrepreneurs to 'go West,' and Winnipeg became the staging ground, earning its 'Gateway to the West' moniker.

Answer: Victoria, BC

The first Europeans to visit the southern tip of Vancouver Island were the Spanish and the British as they explored the west coast of North America in the 1770s. It wasn't until 1841 that James Douglas set up Fort Albert (soon after renamed Fort Victoria) in anticipation of the Oregon Treaty's delineation of the border at the 49th parallel. The colony of Vancouver Island was established a few years later in 1849, and Victoria incorporated as a city in 1862.

Not far away on the mainland, the Colony of British Columbia was established in 1858, and in 1866 the two colonies joined, with Victoria being named the capital of British Columbia. A short time later, in 1871, B.C. became Canada's sixth province.

Victoria, named for the reigning British monarch Queen Victoria, is called 'The Garden City' largely due to the nice weather that allows for flowers to bloom almost year-round and also for the amazing Butchart Gardens, a National Historic Site of Canada established in 1904.

Answer: Québec City, QC

Québec City is one of the oldest settlements in North America and the only one north of Mexico with a fortress wall that still exists. Founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608, the city today also encompasses the site of what was the first known French settlement in North America (Fort Charlesbourg-Royal, established in 1541 by explorer Jacques Cartier, then abandoned a year later).

The name 'Québec' was borrowed from the indigenous Algonquin word 'Kébec,' which means 'where the river narrows.' It is also the settlement from which the name 'Canada' was derived, from the Iroquoian word 'kanata,' meaning 'village.' From its establishment, Québec was the capital of the colony of Canada, and in 1663 was designated the capital of all of New France. In 1763, after the Seven Years' War, France ceded its claim to this part of its colonies to the British, and Québec became the capital of the newly-formed British 'Province of Québec'. In 1791 this region was partitioned into Upper and Lower Canada, with Québec remaining the capital of Lower Canada. In 1841, the two Canadas were united once again to become the Province of Canada until Confederation in 1867, when the province was once again split to become the current Ontario and Québec that we all know and love.

Is there any misunderstanding as to why Québec City has the nickname of 'La Vieille Capitale' (The Old Capital)?

Answer: St. John's, NL

Remember when 'Columbus sailed the ocean blue' in 1492? Well, St. John's was named a handful of years later, and became the site of the first 'post-Columbian' European settlement in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the Island of Newfoundland.

When the father-son exploring duo of John and Sebastian Cabot entered the harbour in 1494 (some say 1497) on June 24th, they named it after St. John the Baptist, whose feast day it was. St. John's subsequently became the location of multiple seasonal fishing-oriented camps over the years, until a permanent community was established until after the 1630s.

Newfoundland did not become an official British colony until 1610, and St. John's was not incorporated as a city until 1888. In between, it took some time for St. John's to become established as the premier city on the island. It slowly gathered more and more influence (economic, military, social reform) until it finally became the capital in 1832. The Newfoundland Colony became the Dominion of Newfoundland in 1907, and eventually joined the rest of Canada as the tenth province in 1949, officially renamed 'Newfoundland and Labrador' in 2001 to include part of the mainland adjacent to the Province of Quebec, in name as well as fact.

Why the nickname of 'The City of Legends,' you ask? With its long history, there are many stories surrounding the city of St. John's, from fires that ravaged the city, to its involvement in various colonial conflicts. The St. John's area boasts a number of National Historic Sites of Canada, showcasing its historical significance.

Answer: Prince Edward Island

The French were the first Europeans to establish a settlement on (what would eventually be named) Prince Edward Island in 1720, across the harbour from present-day Charlottetown. Through the course of the various colonial conflicts, the island was eventually claimed by the British, and at the height of the Seven Years' War they established Fort Amherst in the same location to protect the harbour. It wasn't until after the Treaty of Paris ended the hostilities that Charlottetown was established (in 1764) and made the capital of St. John's Island (1765).

Incorporation as a city came in 1855, and even though Charlottetown was the location of the third and final Confederation Conference in 1867, Prince Edward Island did not join as a province of Canada until 1873.

Charlottetown was named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of King George III. St. John's Island was renamed in honour of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fifth child of King George and Queen Charlotte (and Commander-in-Chief of the forces of British North America), and the father of Queen Victoria.

Answer: Regina, SK

Originally named 'Wascana' (Cree for 'Pile-of-Bones'), Regina was founded in 1882 as the seat of the Northwest Territories by Lieutenant-Governor Edgar Dewdney, who just 'happened' to own land adjacent to where the railroad was going to run through the location (there was a national scandal at the time).

Renamed Regina, it was incorporated as a city in 1903, and became the capital of the newly-formed province of Saskatchewan in 1905 (although this wasn't declared by the newly-formed provincial government until May of 1906).

When the community was established in 1882, the community was renamed by Princess Louise (daughter of Queen Victoria), who was also married to the current Governor-General of Canada (the Marquess of Lorne), in honour of her mother ('Regina' is Latin for 'queen').

Answer: Toronto, ON

Occupied by the Iroquois when the first Europeans arrived, that didn't stop the French from establishing Fort Rouillé on the site of what would one day be Toronto in 1750. This was abandoned during the Seven Years' War, and the British subsequently established Fort York there at the end of the war in 1783. In 1787 the land was purchased from the local First Nations through an arrangement by Lord Dorchester, including an area of more than 1,000 square kilometres (called the Toronto Purchase). The town of York was established was established in 1793, and the capital of Upper Canada was moved from Newark to York.

It was in 1834 that the town of York was incorporated into the city of Toronto, reverting to the original name of the region.

The name Toronto derives from the Iroquoian language, with a couple of possible meanings, depending on sources over the years. In one instance, it could come from the word 'tkaronto,' meaning 'place where trees stand in the water,' while in another instance, it was also found in a French lexicon citing the Huron (also an Iroquoian language) word 'toronto,' meaning 'plenty'.

As to the nickname of 'Hogtown,' it derives from the Davies pork processing facility founded in the city in the 1850s, which was the largest such facility in the British Empire for many years.

Answer: Fredericton, NB

During King William's War (1688-97), the French established Fort Nashwaak in the location that would one day become Fredericton. It took over the role of the capital of the New France colony of Acadia, but that was short-lived as the fort was abandoned following a flood that ravaged the area, coupled with Governor Villebon's death in 1700. In 1732, a new settlement (Pointe-Sainte-Anne) was established a mile away as Acadians fled the British occupation of Nova Scotia, but that was also a relatively short-lived settlement as the British burned it to the ground in 1759 during the French and Indian War. After fur traders established a permanent post in the area in 1768, and following the American Revolution (1783), Ste. Anne's Point became the site of Loyalist relocations and a year later, when New Brunswick was established as its own colony, was selected as the new capital.

At the same time, it was renamed 'Frederick's Town' for Prince Frederick Augustus, Duke of York, the second son of King George III. This was soon shortened to 'Fredericton.' It was not until 1848 that Fredericton was incorporated as a city.

According to historian Ged Martin, the nickname 'Celestial City' was bestowed upon Fredericton by rival New Brunswick city St. John after the Christ Church Cathedral was built there in the 1840s. Fredericton embraced the moniker, and even put it in their advertising to promote tourism.