In Moneysense’s Best Places to Live in Canada 2013, Canadians saw a surprising revelation – Calgary topped the list. For both the best large city and best overall city, Calgary was first. Moneysense arrived at this conclusion using numerous factors, including unemployment, crime, and weather. After seeing Ottawa take the top spot for the last three years in this survey, it was a shock to many that Calgary took first place. Before we all start cheering, however, are we really in a place that is setting us all up for success?
Before we look at Calgary as a good place to live, we should probably look at the viability of just living in Canada, and if our country is in a good position for success. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Canada ranks ninth out of eighty countries for the highest quality of life, and for the optimal place for children born in 2013 to be born in. This study used a variety of economic factors, and states that the top countries on this list have the greatest amount of potential and will have the greatest amount of growth from now until 2030. Another affirmation of Canada’s ‘goodness’ is in the OECD rankings of the top 25 best countries to live in right now. On this ranking system, Canada was fifth, behind countries such Australia, which was ranked first, and the United States, which was ranked second. Canada is near the top in all of these rankings, with the fact that all have Canada in such a high position proving that we are living in a country which has a great amount of consistency in its value, scoring highly in every ranking system.
As all those studies have shown and the pride of many Canadians indicates, Canada is one of the best countries in the world – but is Calgary near the top of that list, or is it lounging near the bottom? As Moneysense’s report showed, at least one organization believes that we deserve the top spot. Though our weather isn’t the greatest, with Calgary being one of the cities with the fewest days above 0°C, we have a low amount of crime severity, especially for a city as large as ours, as well as a high average income, thanks to the prosperity created by the energy sector. Calgary’s overall amount of opportunities for jobs, as well as our culture, were again proven in another study, done by the Economic Intelligence Unit, which ties Calgary in fifth with Adelaide in Australia, with Calgary receiving a 96.6 out of 100 on our city’s liveability.
With Canada and Calgary both having a great amount of stability and coming out of the recession in a better position than other developed countries, we are in a position where we can grow and succeed, and continue on the path that many believe we are on. That doesn’t mean we are without issues, however – we still must remain vigilant and ensure that we have steady growth and success.