Morning Buzz: We&#039;re 56th! But Number 1 For Culture?

Many Vancouverites take a lot of pride in the annual world livable city rankings. In those rankings we are often considered one of the most livable places in the world. So it may come as a surprise to many that we ranked so low on the Best Places to Live in Canada. According to MoneySense magazine we are the 56th best place in Canada to live in. Oddly enough the three largest cities didn’t fare well as Toronto ranked 47th and Montreal came in at 149th out of 190 cities that were considered for this poll. Ottawa once again topped the poll. 

The table above illustrates how Canada’s three largest metro’s fared. Vancouver coming in at number 1 for culture may come as a surprise to many. Yes, this is the same city that has young artists leaving in droves for greener more affordable pastures. The same city that will lose the Ridge Theatre, The Book Warehouse and already lost The Playhouse Theatre Company somehow managed to out culture the mecca of Montreal and Toronto. I’m not saying Vancouver is devoid of culutre, it has lots, but just like most Vancouverites, the culture crowd is very cliquey. A victim of the Vancouver Complex perhaps?

These rankings, just like any other ranking are not an exact science. I’ll take Vancouver over any city in this country and most cities around the world. It’s not an easy city to live in, it’s damn expensive but so are most major cities in the world that are desirable.

Here are the top 10 cities in Canada to live in:

  1. Ottawa
  2. Burlington
  3. Kingston
  4. Halifax
  5. Regina
  6. Brandon
  7. Fredericton
  8. Edmonton
  9. Red Deer
  10. Winnipeg

Image by flynnkc