This article jumps all over the place without making connections across the threads.

(1) There is a suggestion for building much largely mini-cities, outside of the current metropolitan areas. In BC, this would be Prince George, Kamloop,s Kelowna, Abbotsford, and Nanaimo. (2) This suggestion fits with those, like Doug Saunders in his upcoming book, that Canada should strive for a population of 100 million, a critical mass to support critical thought, innovation, and entrepreneurship. (3) There is a confusing of the state of rural areas, likely increasingly positive in a time of booming agriculture and positive impacts of climate change, with the steady decline of small towns, where manufacturing was based 150 years ago. (4) There is an argument for faster internet connections in non-metropolitan areas, but no real analysis of why this might make any different to the diverse economic futures. (5) And, there is a link to the situations and choices facing isolated indigneous communities.