The largest city in B.C.’s Interior is also the nation’s greenest city.
That’s according to a recent report, which listed Kelowna as Canada’s most pedestrian-friendly and cycle-friendly city.
The study, issued by Greater Toronto Home Pros, compiled data to develop a green score. Items measured include air quality, percentage of parkland, community gardens, public transit plus biking and hiking trails.
In the end, Kelowna took first place with a score of 70.63 out of 100, with Lethbridge, Alta., in second at 66.39 followed by Fredericton, N.B., at 65.4.
Rounding out the top five were North Vancouver at 63.02 and Halifax at 58.85.
Notably, Vancouver was eighth at 54.45 while Calgary was 14th at 45.75.
In all, 29 cities were ranked. Of the top 10, four cities are in B.C., three are in Ontario, there’s two in Atlantic Canada and one in Alberta.
- Kelowna, B.C., 70.63
- Lethbridge, Alta., 66.39
- Fredericton, N.B., 65.4
- North Vancouver, 63.02
- Halifax, N.S., 58.85
- Waterloo, Ont., 57.25
- Guelph, Ont., 56.16
- Vancouver, B.C., 54.45
- Saanich, B.C., 50.08
- Thunder Bay, Ont., 49.17
- Quebec City, Que., 47.95
- Richmond, B.C., 47.44
- Langley, B.C., 45.76
- Calgary, Alta., 45.75
- Surrey, B.C., 42.74
- Kitchener, Ont., 41.53
- Winnipeg, Man., 41.51
- Mississauga, Ont., 40.86
- Edmonton, Alta., 40.37
- Longueuil, Que., 40.08
- Toronto, Ont., 39.42
- Brampton, Ont., 39.09
- Ottawa, Ont., 37.21
- Montreal, Que., 36.7
- Richmond Hill, Ont., 36.42
- Gatineau, Que., 33.61
- Hamilton, Ont., 32.83
- Regina, Sask., 27.01
- Saskatoon, Sask., 23.92
“Blessed with abundant natural beauty, it’s not surprising that the city ranks No. 1 on this list, with a green score of 70.63,” reads the report.
“A major contribution to this is the city’s pedestrian-friendly and cycle-friendly scoring. On the index, it scored a perfect 10 for both.”
The report is available online.