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OTTAWA-GATINEAU NAMED 'CANADA'S BEST PLACE TO LIVE' IN MONEYSENSE'S 6th ANNUAL RANKING

Mar 29, 2011

MoneySense magazine ranks 180 Canadian cities and towns on such factors
as house prices, crime rates, employment and health care. How does your
city rank? Visita href=”http://www.moneysense.ca/bestplaces2011″>http://www.moneysense.ca/bestplaces2011

PLUS:

  • Best Places to Retire
  • Canada’s Wealthiest Cities
  • Canada’s Best Weather

TORONTO, March 29 /CNW/ – For the second year running, Canada’s capital
snagged the top spot on MoneySense magazine’s Best Places to Live
ranking. Victoria, whose high housing prices dropped it to #8 last year
(after a #1 ranking in 2009), climbed back up to sit at #2 this year,
while Burlington, Ont., maintained its #3 spot.

Why did Ottawa come out on top? It turns out the city is remarkably
consistent, typically scoring above average in just about every
category. In addition to the national capital, several provincial
capitals also fare well (Victoria, Fredericton at #6, Winnipeg at #10)
as well as suburbs near large centres, such as Burlington and
Repentigny, Que., which was 9th.

Some love the diversity and liveliness of Canada’s largest cities, while
others find them polluted, crime-ridden and crowded. In MoneySense’s
ranking, they finished in the middle of the pack: Vancouver ranked
29th, Toronto 88th, and Montreal was 123rd out of 180.

Where should I live?
Although there are many personal and impossible-to-measure factors that
contribute to a city’s livability-such as friendliness, scenery, good
restaurants or historic buildings-the MoneySense rankings stick to the
measurable hard data. These indicators range from climate and ease of
travel to affordable housing and population growth. The ranking is
designed to be a useful tool to help Canadians decide where to launch a
career, raise a family, retire or simply make a fresh start. Every
single city or town in the country with a population of 10,000 or more
is ranked.

Canada’s Best Places to Live – Top 10

  1. Ottawa-Gatineau
  2. Victoria. B.C.
  3. Burlington, Ont.
  4. Kingston, Ont.
  5. St. Albert, Alta.
  6. Fredericton, N.B.
  7. Brandon, Man.
  8. Edmonton, Alta.
  9. Repentigny, Que.
  10. Winnipeg, Man.

More rankings:

Best Places to Retire: A person’s needs change upon retirement, and so we adjust our category
weights to reflect what’s most important to those at this stage of
life. Job prospects won’t matter, but access to health care, low taxes
and decent weather will.

Canada’s Wealthiest Cities: Proximity to the oil and mining industries and to the financial capital
are big factors in getting to the top of this list.

The Weather Controversy: In a country with as many weather extremes as Canada, the importance of
good weather cannot be overstated. And although many Canadians don’t
agree on where the best weather in the country is, MoneySense comes up
with a definitive answer, based on temperatures, precipitation and
clean air.

About MoneySense:
MoneySense is Canada’s personal finance and lifestyle magazine. Packed with smart
features, practical advice and easy-to-follow financial tips on
everything from home improvement to mutual funds, Moneysense attracts
Canadians nationwide on the lookout for new ways to save, invest and
spend. MoneySense.ca is Canada’s best all-around personal finance website.