There’s always been a little “friendly” competition between Canadian cities over who has it best and worst. And Toronto and Montreal are forever giving each other the side-eye, while most of the country would like to take The 6ix down a peg.
Well this should make those guys happy.
Vancouver, BC, is Canada’s best place to live. This is according to the Economist’s 2017 Global Liveability Report, which evaluates 140 cities around the world based on the quality of life-related factors such as safety, health care, educational resources, infrastructure and the environment. The report found that, despite being the most expensive place to live in Canada, the city of Vancouver also has the best quality of life.
While researchers found that, thanks to “civil wars, terrorist attacks and a financial meltdown” most of the world’s cities have grown less liveable for ex-pats and business travellers, there was still a marginal overall increase in global liveability for the first time in ten years.
Melbourne, Australia, comes in first for liveability, holding the top spot for the seventh year in a row. It’s followed closely by Vienna, Austria, and then Vancouver.
Three Canadian cities actually made the top five. Toronto, ON, comes in fourth, followed by Calgary, AB, which ties with Adelaide, Australia, for fifth place.
So, basically, Australia, Austria, and Canada are the best places to live in the world according to people in the UK. See the full report here.
Here at home, the Canadian folks at MoneySense magazine recently published their own list of Canada’s Best Places to Live in 2017. Those rankings are based on wealth and affordability, employment opportunities and taxes, transit, crime, and arts and culture, among other things. In this case, Ottawa took first place out of 400 cities and towns, and the rest of the top 10 was comprised of smaller towns, communities, and suburbs.
The top 10 places to live in Canada in 2017
Ottawa, ON
Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, QC
Oak Bay, BC
North Saanich, BC
Weyburn, SK
Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, QC
St. Albert, AB
Mont-Royal, QC
Burlington, ON
Lévis, QC
Calgary is No. 75, Vancouver comes in at No. 102, and Toronto falls behind at No. 129.
At the bottom of the list, Montreal, QC, is the worst of the biggest cities coming in at No. 356. Saint John, NB, ranks at No. 375 and Cape Breton, NS, comes in near last place at No. 407.
The big cities get points for job opportunities and thriving cultures but lose points for affordability.
Unemployment is higher the further you move down the list. Cape Breton, NS, has a 16.42% unemployment rate, though this is topped by Miramichi, NB, which has nearly a 20% unemployment rate but a better ranking on the list at No. 382 due to other factors.
If employment is your top priority, BC is the place to be, according to the latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada. Regionally, Newfoundland and Labrador currently have the highest unemployment rate at 15.7%, while British Columbia has the lowest at 5.3%.
Provincial unemployment rates
(Click on the province to view jobs currently available in that region)
Newfoundland and Labrador 15.7 percent * Highest in Canada
Prince Edward Island 10.0
Nova Scotia 7.9
New Brunswick 6.5
Quebec 5.8
Ontario 6.1
Manitoba 5.0 * Lowest in Canada
Saskatchewan 6.6
Alberta 7.8
British Columbia 5.3
Also, earlier this year Global News listed the top Canadian cities for full-time employment according to StatsCan. And in that case, Regina, SK, was doing the best, with a 57.2% full-time employment rate, followed by Guelph, ON, with 55.9%, and the Ontario Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo area, with 55.3%.
Here are the best Canadian cities for full-time jobs:
Regina, SK — 57.2%
Guelph, ON — 55.9%
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, ON — 55.3%
Edmonton, AB— 54.2%
Calgary, AB — 53.8%
Oshawa, ON — 53.6%
Quebec City, QC — 53.1%
Saint John, NB — 52.9%
Ottawa-Gatineau, ON/QC — 50.9%
Toronto, ON — 50.3%