Question for Canadians: Where could one put a Fictional City in CU Canada ?

[Hermit]

1 hour ago, Lord Liaden said:

Not mentioned anywhere. TBH with one-tenth the population of the United States, I don't think we have enough native supers to justify a dedicated super-school of our own.

 

Millennium City's Ravenswood Academy recruits an international student body, so young Canadian supers could be referred there. UNTIL also has a training program for young supers, an adjunct to the operations of its own super-team, UNITY; although the reference to it on UNTIL: Defenders Of Freedom p. 137 indicates students aren't automatically expected to join the team, and can return to their home countries when training is finished. The program is based out of a facility at Port Hedland, Australia.

 

Thanks. I was contemplating the possibility of a Canadian Superhero school and it is tempting to make one up for Northgate, but probably not fitting given the reasons you mention.

 

That doesn't mean there's not a few superpowered teens that are below the radar.

[Lord Liaden]

Oh, no doubt. They don't even need to be under the radar. Teen Champions writes up two teams of teen superheroes who got together on their own, the New-York-based Nova, and the Motor City Defenders who champion North Detroit. There's also the tried-and-true route of a superhero mentoring a younger would-be hero. The official setting has several examples, such as MeteorMan III who was trained by the second MM to be his successor.

[Hermit]

 

Okay. I should let this drop but my brain came back to it and I got a few ideas for a timeline. Obviously, I am no proper history student of Canadian history, so this is more conjecture, liberal skimming from various sources applied in a slap dash manner, and whimsy. All of this is subject to change and I am sure there will be much "Mmmmph that isn't how it would have happened" inserted by our Canadian allies on the board. And I'm good with that, but it's my hope some of these ideas will be considered worthwhile with a bit of tweaking.  Some I'm sure, will need flat out correction.

 

You may notice there is no mention of the War of 1812. Honestly? I could joke about Americans always forgetting that one, but I think the existing Canadian Champion source books cover it better than I could and I couldn't think of the best 'Northgate focus' on it.

As of this point, I've only gotten to the Golden Age

*******

 

Northgate timeline (History continued)

 

In 1741, the first Fort Bourbon was established, but due to “small pox” of unusual nature and virulence in the area, was later moved. Trade continued, of course, though Cree and French alike were careful to avoid the deserted fort for a decade and despite the promising river path now open for even greater exploration. Actual settlement in the area was discouraged for a time but eventually, the area would lure others who either were brave enough to risk rumors of curses and plague, or ignorant of them entirely.

 

 

In 1763, the British, victors of the Seven Years War over France led to the formal claiming over the area of Manitoba, and, a decade later, the famous North Brothers discovered that, contrary to outdated records, the area here was to put it in their findings “Uncursed, Unplagued and relatively unpopulated by civilised men”. True, there were Cree and Métis as neighbors, but they had avoided enough of the area to give a foothold for a settlement. Indeed, one of the North Brothers, overstepping his bounds, even brought some respectful tribute to the tribal elders. Some historians think that’s why things went a bit smoother for this settlement than they would for Winnipeg, at least at first.

 

While the brothers continued to explore and survey, somewhere a government official, in a hurry to get his paperwork done, simply labeled the proposed area for a settlement “North’s Gate” and this would, more or less, stick. It would be a long time before the name meant anything of importance to most though.

 

 

 

 

 

1783, The American Revolution was, in many ways, not of import to most in Manitoba, at least, not at first but the areas around “North’s Gate” would be affected by it thanks to one man named Philoman Portendorfer. A prestigious and wily conman, Portendorfer could see the panic in the eyes of the loyalists as they found themselves in a land where the ‘traitors’ had won. Philoman had taken no sides, but approached many a loyalist pretending to be one himself. He spun elaborate tales of the vengeful nature of the revolutionaries and how Loyalist land was to be seized by them. Why he himself was driven from his home, and it was “only by a kindlier god than an old sinner such as myself was fortunate enough to have land up north”. The loyalists who took the bait and inquired would be spun an elaborate story of land near the most beautiful river you ever saw, perfect for fishing, trade, and why yes, farming too.

Sure that they were about to lose their lands in the newly minted “United States of America”, more than a few loyalists give their land in exchange for the promised “Loyalist Utopia” to the far north. It was, of course, a swindle. It is estimated that roughly a hundred and twelve men, their wives and children, went North only to find the forged papers they had were as false as Fool’s Gold. By the time they arrived, Philoman, who had stayed behind to ‘help other true sons of the crown’ had sold their old homes and made quite a tidy fortune.

This particular group of settlers, sometimes referred to by those hunters and trappers in the area as “Portendorfer’s Pinhead Pilgrimage” had a rough time of cold winters, hard men who did not care what paper you waved in their face, and indigenous people who weren’t thrilled to have yet more pale strangers tromping around lost. Some turned back, some, well, they died, but a stubborn chunk actually made a go of it and held on forming their own small settlement that would be eventually absorbed by the city to come.

It should be noted that in modern Northgate, there is more than one statue of Philoman Portendorfer and he is seen more with interest and even a bit of admiration than old rancor. Nothing like a century or two to help develop a sense of humor in a people.

Of course, many loyalists moved to Canada without aid of swindle. This influx of newcomers would alarm the remaining French speaking residents who felt increasingly pressed. The tribal lands had to deal with an influx of colonizers who did not know, nor respect already agreed upon boundaries and behaviors. These seeds of tension would sprout and bloom in what would later be known as the Red River Rebellion.

 

1869-1870 The Red River Rebellion was a Métis uprising that lead to the creation of the province thanks to the Manitoba Act of May 1870. Despite having many demands met, the Métis would in time find themselves disadvantaged to the point many would move to the Northwest. Indeed, with Northgate far more prosperous in this timeline than the area would be otherwise, the pressure of an English speaking White population was even more intense. Nevertheless, a substantial and stubborn Francophone minority would always be a part of the area.

 

 

 

1876, The area was finally and officially incorporated as a city. It was named Northgate, in honor of the Brothers that explored the area a century before, as well as how fitting it was for the city’s growing purpose as a true trading passage to the north. Of course, the fact it also required minimum paperwork was, as many point out, just a byproduct of Canadian Common Sense.

 

 

1894, Steamship transportation had come into its own and then some, offering new opportunities for transport through Canada’s waterways. At this time, Northgate had a very prosperous harbour, called Colville Landing. It was run and operated by the HBC (Hudson’s Bay Company) which had quite the influence in the young city. Alas, one of the largest steamships of the time, caught fire while in in port, and a great blaze consumed the docks and many of the buildings on it. This crippled the economy for a period of time and Winnipeg benefited from Northgate’s loss but the river and rail trade were simply too valuable not to reinvest in and repairs went forward with gusto. The rebuilt district was renamed New Colville Landing.

 

It should be noted that, much like the great Chicago Fire of 1871 (albeit on a much smaller scale), the Colville Landing fire of Northgate lead to stricter safety codes, and a historically well trained department of Firefighters that the modern city would take great pride in.

 

 

 

1914-1920 The Great War/WW1 led to an action that would shape the demographics of Northgate beyond conscription. In the ‘War Measures Act’, the Canadian Government classified immigrants with Austro-Hungarian citizenship/heritage as “aliens of enemy nationality”. Thousands of Ukrainians (Among others) were interned at camps and work sites. One of the larger camps was in the then outskirts of Northgate. It was only after a year after the treaty of Versailles that this policy ended. However, many Ukrainian-Canadians (To use a modern term) would choose to stay in the area either lacking resources to move back to their old locales, or the desire.

 

While one can dwell on the sins of governments in war, Northgate would, a century later, make a kind of restitution by opening it’s doors to Ukrainian refugees (mostly women and children) fleeing Russia’s invasion.

 

1930s- While the first discovery of Uranium in Canada was actually in 1930 in the Northwest territories, a few years later studies of the areas near Northgate later on stumbled onto a much nearer supply of Uranium, Radium and some other materials that, at the time, defied classification. Unbeknownst to most, the great meteor remnants of the area, long altered by pressure and time, were just now being reached again. There would be ramifications.

 

Unfortunately, at the time, the Great Depression hitting North America was no kinder on Canada than it was the U.S.A. so slightly radioactive rocks were hardly of major concern. People wanted jobs, fair wages, and more. Long rivals, the workers of Northgate and Winnipeg united in great demonstrations and protests. Times were lean and hard. The pulp heroes appearing in other cities of Canada were absent in Northgate, leaving a sense of despair as crooked men sought to make bank on the misery of the time.

 

World War II – The second world war was a different kind of misery for all. Economically, it proved to be a shot in the arm for Northgate, as it applied itself to providing resources to the Allies overseas. But, it would also lead to the loss of several sons of the city. Even before conscription, it must be said that Northgate sent more than its fair share of young men for its size, earning Northgate the honorific “City of the Bold”, sadly with the honorific, came the sound of cathedral bells tolling in mourning. Yet there was pride when news of how more than one Northgate native helped free Holland.

Of special note, though often neglected in history, was the contributions of the Cherry Top Angels. The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps ended up with several volunteers from the ladies as well, women who signed on as Nurses to tend to the many wounded overseas, and at home. A military hospice for long term recovery was actually set up inside Northgate, a precursor of a medical industry that would swell in time, but those that would be known as the Cherry Top Angels were never too far from the front line, working in tents overflowing with wounded. Of course, that was not their official name, but they had been given berets of that hue and the name stuck. Perhaps the most famous of these nurses was Lt. Linda Diana Yardlie, who stopped a medical outpost in the pacific from being overrun by shoving a gurney down hill on an imperial Japanese squad coming up to capture or kill HER wounded charges. The gurney in question, being loaded with unpinned grenades, proved to be quite the game changer. She got a promotion, two medals, and five offers of marriage when news of her courage came home to Northgate. Of course her real contribution was the many lives she and her fellow nurses saved by care and healing, but the story does stick out.

 

A note on Golden Age Superheroes- During World War II, the Fifth column was quite infused with superpowered Axis members hoping to wreck havoc on this or that city in North America. Northgate was no exception. A Nazi saboteur dubbed Baron Von Verwüstung briefly became a major threat to Northgate’s factories and training centers. He was foiled by Northgate’s first superheroine Shadfly. Somehow possessing the powers of flight, super-strength, and shrinking, Shadfly routinely held any and all 5^th Column foes from completing their plans, while also coming down hard on war profiteers and plan old criminals. Most assumed she took the alternative name of the short lived Mayfly to add extra insult to the Axis goons she protected to the city from, but in the end, it was revealed she’d chosen all too accurately. Born Victoria Garson, the daughter of a famous chemist and no slouch herself, She had developed a formula using local radium admixtures to grant herself superpowers, knowing that it would shorten her life span to a handful of years.

 

In May 1945, Shadfly pulled a sinking ship off the river to safety, and then finally died before the very people she had saved, the formula at last demanding its due. She took the secret of the formula with her to her grave, but there are rampant conspiracies that her body was dug up by this or that shadowy organization for study.

 

[Rich McGee]

On 11/6/2023 at 11:20 AM, Lord Liaden said:

TBH with one-tenth the population of the United States, I don't think we have enough native supers to justify a dedicated super-school of our own.

Clearly you're not allowing for the well-known effects of the Aurora Borealis on superpower manifestation rates.  What did you think all those bases in Alaska and secret Soviet cities in Siberia were all about?  And don't even get me started on the unacknowledged Scandinavian dominance of the world's super-population.  If they didn't have to spend so much time fighting giants at Ragnarok they'd be the ones in charge, I tell you!  As it is, the US clings to the lead mostly due their early discovery that tinfoil hats help concentrate auroran energies even when out of sight.   

Edited November 29, 2023 by Rich McGee

[Lord Liaden]

Thank you for that insight, Mr. McGee. But we've asked you not to leave your room before you've had your meds.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Lord Liaden

[Cancer]

I think Mr. McGee is spot on, and it ought to be a real concern for those worried about the development of Canadian supers.  Obviously the Russians are stealing the north pole to shift the aurorae and augment their own corps of supers in the long term!  (This alone could be the foundation of a deeply tongue-in-cheek campaign.)

[Lord Liaden]

Well, maybe I'll give McGee more credence if he brings proof of that green giant he's been chasing.

[GDShore]

The Russkis aren't stealing the pole, the north pole, but rather the magnetic pole, and even there they didn't steal it, it has a mind of it's own and goes where it will as it oscillates around the north pole. Mind you that bodes well for Alaska as it will be there in about 30 to 50 years.(maybe a little more)

[Steve]

I’ve occasionally wondered what an alternate version of the Champions Universe would be like if a Canadian city had been destroyed instead of Detroit and then rebuilt into a version of Millennium City.

 

Windsor, Canada would be an interesting choice. Imagine if the region was carved out as its own city-state, a mix of Canada and the United States, and a haven for superhumans.

[Hugh Neilson]

It would not be that unreasonable to expand the destruction to both Windsor and Detroit.  You can look north across the river from Windsor and see Detroit.  If it were not for the international border, they would likely be one city already.

 

A high-tech city in two countries would make for some interesting politics.

[Lord Liaden]

I agree that a spillover of the destruction in Detroit to Windsor would be simple to justify, just a permutation of Dr. Destroyer's satellite death ray. I would consider it unlikely that either the United States or Canada would allow the two cities to amalgamate on either side of the border, let alone form an independent city. It's one of the world's busiest border crossings, far too economically important to let go independent. The investment in rebuilding, and the symbolic value to each nation in rebuilding "their" city, would make it untenable to relinquish them without heavy negotiation at the federal and state/provincial level.

 

If there were extensive rebuilding on both sides of the Detroit River, I would expect it to emphasize tying the two communities more closely together economically. Expanded bridges, more or bigger iterations of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, probably companies with offices and manufacturing facilities in both communities. Law enforcement, particularly in regards to "super-crime," would probably be more trans-border cooperative.

 

Windsor's economy depends to a large extent on manufacturing, so I'm sure it would embrace government and private investing in high-tech facilities just as Millennium City has. However, Windsorites are proud of the natural parks, hiking trails, and so on that are integral to their cityscape and a significant contributor to tourism, so I would not expect them to go as overtly and publicly technological as in MC.

[Steve]

In the case of Detroit and Windsor both being rebuilt as a form of twin cities in a superhuman world, what might they name the rebuilt Windsor? How might it change after such destruction? Would it stay being called Windsor even after Detroit gets a snazzier name?

 

Imagine how it could work if Canadian superhumans congregated there and American superhumans congregated in Millenium City. Would there be any superteam rivalries? What about supervillains who might find the two cities an even more attractive target than if it was just Millennium City?

PRIMUS maintains an office in Millenium City, so it might prompt the Canadian government to do some enhanced law enforcement in the rebuilt Windsor. How might that affect border relations?

Edited February 4 by Steve

[Lord Liaden]

Intriguing questions.

 

Because it has only a fraction of Millennium City's population, I don't think Windsor itself would become a Canadian superhuman hub, except in relation to cross-border activities with MC; but that alone could justify some local heroes. Windsor had been the home base for Canada's mightiest superhero, Celestar, but events alluded to in Champions Universe might have prompted him to be more active farther afield, so there could be room for some lesser-powered heroes.

 

Windsor is the southern terminus of the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor, the most densely populated and highly industrialized part of Canada. It's the most heavily trafficked border crossing between Canada and the US. It's a major center for Canada's automotive industry. It lies within but is administratively separate from Essex County, Ontario. With all those factors, and if it was rebuilt after a disaster as a symbol of the future, particularly in a comic-book world, I can think of only one word to rename it: Excelsior!

[Lord Liaden]

Oh, sorry Steve, I forgot your question about enhanced Canadian law enforcement. Before the Battle of Detroit in 1992, the United States was not a signatory to the UN Tribunal Treaty, hence UNTIL was not allowed to operate on American soil. When the battle occurred UNTIL scrambled its forces in Canada to help, but was stopped at the border by bureaucratic red tape, until it was all over. When the public found out it raised such a stink that Congress was compelled to ratify the Treaty. If barring UNTIL had led to destruction in Windsor, that stink would probably have risen to the level of the Bog of Eternal Stench.

 

In that case cross-border anti-super security cooperation would probably be a higher priority, at least between these two cities. I should think the least the Canadian government would do would be to permanently station a squad of officers from the RCMP's Steelhead Division, equipped with the Steelsman powered armor, in Windsor (or whatever it's named). That's assuming one isn't there already -- the books don't say one way or another.

Edited February 4 by Lord Liaden

[Steve]

1 hour ago, Lord Liaden said:

Intriguing questions.

 

Because it has only a fraction of Millennium City's population, I don't think Windsor itself would become a Canadian superhuman hub, except in relation to cross-border activities with MC; but that alone could justify some local heroes. Windsor had been the home base for Canada's mightiest superhero, Celestar, but events alluded to in Champions Universe might have prompted him to be more active farther afield, so there could be room for some lesser-powered heroes.

 

Windsor is the southern terminus of the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor, the most densely populated and highly industrialized part of Canada. It's the most heavily trafficked border crossing between Canada and the US. It's a major center for Canada's automotive industry. It lies within but is administratively separate from Essex County, Ontario. With all those factors, and if it was rebuilt after a disaster as a symbol of the future, particularly in a comic-book world, I can think of only one word to rename it: Excelsior!

 

Excelsior, Canada sounds like a cool name. Since it would be a smaller city compared to Millenium City and very close together, Excelsior could have some rivalry with their larger southern neighbor. Maybe like Jersey City when compared to New York City?

[Lord Liaden]

Excelsior, Ontario. We always name the province before the country. After all, you Yanks wouldn't say, "Houston, America," or "Memphis, United States."

[DShomshak]

"Houston, America" could be Texas or Mississippi. "Memphis, United States" could be Tennessee, Texas, or Missouri. Indeed, it matters to specify the state. I assume Canada has some doubled or tripled names as well.

 

Dean Shomshak

[L. Marcus]

However, in all the world there is only one Piteå. 

[Lord Liaden]

There's only one Winnipeg, too. And it's more than thirty times the size of Piteå.  Not that size matters, of course...

[Steve]

So, in this alternate CU, what might Excelsior be like? Since it’s small, it may have only one superteam or maybe a handful of friendly neighborhood superheroes.

 

Would VIPER pay it much attention? It might make a great location for a Nest, since it would be conveniently close to Millenium City but outside it.