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Yes! The Peg ranked third best overall according to The Globe and Mail. Moreover, the publication ranked Winnipeg as the #1 place to raise kids and the #2 place to be for young professionals.
Here are more details from The Globe and Mail’s 2023 data-driven report: The 100 Most Livable Cities in Canada:
Winnipeg is the third most livable city in Canada
Based on information on key features of a city such as economy, housing, demographics, health care, safety, education, community, amenities, transportation, and climate, researchers Mahima Singh and Chen Wang found some key aspects that made Winnipeg rank 3rd overall in livability:
- 68% of Winnipeggers have a strong sense of belonging to local community
- 83% of Winnipeggers have a regular healthcare provider
- Winnipeg is 6% more walkable than the average Canadian city
No surprise, but Winnipeg did not even make it onto the list for most livable cities based on climate! However, Winnipeg scored high points on the housing market, education, child care accessibility, and year-round kid-friendly events, making it the best place to raise kids in Canada.
Meanwhile, young professionals will benefit from Winnipeg’s high quality of life as well as vast opportunities to be employed in various fields such as aerospace, agriculture, information technology, hospitality, and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Winnipeg is the third most livable city for newcomers
For this list, what is considered a newcomer is someone who has moved to Canada within the past five years. The study looked into the ideal qualities for a livable city for a newcomer which are the following: an easy community to integrate into, good access to basic amenities (grocery stores, schools, hospitals), and affordable housing.
The researchers also placed greater importance on the stability and sustainability of population growth, the diversity of cultures represented, and cultural richness.
Some aspects of living in Winnipeg that helped it rank in the top three (of 20 Canadian cities) in terms of newcomer livability are:
- Winnipeg is 26% more diverse than the average Canadian city.
- The average monthly rent in is $1,354.
- The population is growing 6% more than the average Canadian city and is projected to grow 9% more from 2023 to 2028.
Of the top 20 cities that are most livable for newcomers, number one on the list was Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, and number two was Victoria, British Columbia.
How were the cities ranked?
The proponents studied 439 cities with a population over 10,000. They examined 43 variables in 10 categories:
- Economy – This includes job market, income levels and tax, and overall economic stability.
- Housing – Affordability of housing, and the accessibility of housing options for seniors.
- Demographics – Encompasses stability and sustainability in population growth, diversity, and cultural richness.
- Diversity – Includes the percentage of the population whose mother tongue is not English or French, percentage of population who are first- or second-generation immigrants, and percentage of population who are visible minorities.
- Healthcare – Includes access to care within three days, proximity to a facility, measure of physical/mental health safety, the likelihood of crime, and trust in the police and your neighbours.
- Education – Includes people with education beyond high school, proximity to schools, and the ratio of universities to population.
- Community – The number of community centres, Green Living Index, sense of belonging, and volunteer opportunities.
- Amenities – These are recreational facilities and entertainment options.
- Transportation – Measures the distance to the airport, distance from home to public transit, and living within walking distance of schools/grocery stores/amenities.
- Climate – Includes instances of extreme weather, and overall seasonal patterns (over 30 and under -15 C).
These variables and categories were weighted based on significance.
Do you agree with the study?
By Nastashya Wall
Sources: How we ranked Canada’s 100 most livable cities, Mahima Singh and Chen Wang, The Globe and Mail; and 15 reasons to live in Winnipeg, Sasha Kulachenko, Winnipeg.com.
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