WATCH: A survey from MoneySense Magazine has shown Calgary has dropped from number two all the way down to nineteenth. Gord Gillies reports.
CALGARY – Calgary is no longer considered one of the top spots for Canadians to live, according to MoneySense magazine.
On Monday, the magazine released their annual ‘Best Places to Live’ list, which measures the quality of life in dozens of cities across the nation.
In 2013, Calgary nabbed first place, and last year we placed second.
Since then, our city has plummeted from the top ten, and now sits at 19 out of more than 200 centres.
WATCH: Senior Editor of Moneysense Magazine Romana King spoke to Global News over Skype about why Calgary fell so far in their rankings.
The magazine suggests Calgary’s fall from grace is proof the surge in the West that had been dominant in recent years, has come to an abrupt halt.
Cities were ranked on 34 criteria in all, including the number of doctors in a city for every 100,000 people. Calgary dropped from 59th place to 107th in the health care access ranking.
“So if you’re population rises quite dramatically—which it has the last number of years in Calgary—and your doctor population doesn’t rise, obviously you’re going to have fewer doctors per person, because you have more people to actually service,” said King.
The editor said walkability and housing affordability were other factors that impacted the city’s ranking.
“Calgary has done a lot to improve walkability, but it’s still a driving town … I think access to transit is getting better,” she said. “Housing prices and affordability—that’s skyrocketed a lot. I know you’ve seen a shift in the last six to nine months, but affordability was still high even a year ago, and that’s going to hurt the ranking a little bit.”
But King says families are still earning good money in Cowtown.
“Disposable income and median income for each family—that ranks quite high, so there’s a lot of people there making money and that bodes well for people living there.”
The only city in Alberta to crack the top ten was St. Albert.
Canada’s Best Places to Live 2015 – Top 10
- Boucherville, Quebec
- Ottawa, Ontario
- Burlington, Ontario
- St. Albert, Alberta
- Blainville, Quebec
- Oakville, Ontario
- Stratford, Ontario
- Lévis, Quebec
- North Vancouver, B.C.
- Quebec City , Quebec
CLICK HERE to see the magazine’s full ranking.
With files from Global’s Heather Yourex
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