Growing up in Alberta, people often referred to Ontario/QC as "out east" and "down east." My brother still does that. And many people there seem unable to make a proper distinction between eastern and central Canada economically or politically too.
In my experience, Ontario and Quebec are colloquially referred to as "Out East" or "Eastern Provinces" while the Atlantic provinces are referred to more often as "The Maritimes" or the "East Coast".
