Hello Rover4,
Projecting outward 25 years can be dicey. I remember Toronto, for
example, as it was in the 1950s, a staid and still predominantly Anglo
city. Who would have predicted then that the Toronto of 1975 would be
the diverse and multi-ethnic city it was? And look at Toronto today:
a polyglot great city.
Immigration, especially in Canada?s largest cities, is a big factor in
Canada?s present and future. Canada?s natural annual growth rate is
.4% but immigration boosts the annual increase to 1%. At this rate of
growth, Canada?s current population of 31 million will double by the
year 2070.
http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa051800a.htm
Canada in 2070 will still be a relatively uncrowded country, of
course. But if we assume (as I think we can) that the cities now
receiving the largest influx of immigrants will continue to do, we can
then safely project that Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto, will
experience the kind of growth over the next 25 years that can
negatively impact housing, density, traffic, air quality and overall
quality of life. But, on the other hand, wise governance may blunt
that impact. Or even negate it entirely. Or even improve the city
further: Who would dispute that today?s Toronto is a much more
interesting and, in many ways, more livable city than the Toronto of
1950?
That said, you should know that Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto are
now ranked by one authority as among the world?s top 50 cities in
which to live in 2004 top 25, actually): Vancouver is #3, Toronto #15,
and Montreal #24. A fourth Canadian city, the national capital, makes
the list too; Ottawa is ranked #20. Still another Canadian city,
Calgary, is on the list, in the #24 spot. Incidentally, if you put a
premium on healthy living, note that in the survey?s Health and
Sanitation category Calgary ranks number one in the world, with Ottawa
not far behind. www.citymayors.com/features/quality_survey.html
Five Canadian cities make this Best 50 list. Not bad. A total of 10 US
cities make the list, but with the exception of Honolulu, all of them
are found in the lower half of the list. This City Mayors site of
Mercer Consulting, by the way, is an excellent source of information
about cities in general.
Will these Canadian cities still rank high 25 years from now? I
suppose that depends to a large degree on their citizens' and
governments' determination to protect and even improve the quality of
life they enjoy now.
By the way a cautionary note about Vancouver (or a positive one,
depending on your point of view) may be of interest to you, at:
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,122789,00.html
The information to this point in my answer was found using the search terms:
* Canadian cities rated
I also searched using the terms:concern
· * Small Canadian cities rated.
This last search yielded a valuable source of information in the form
of an article from Today?s Parent entitled ?The Five Best Cities for
Families.?
www.todaysparent.com/lifeasparent/parenting/article.jsp?content=3304
In this survey, Quebec City comes out on top, followed by Ottawa-Hull,
Halifax, Winnipeg and Calgary. Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver score
as ?also-rans.? Each city is awarded a point total; as well, the
article's informative overviews of each city should prove useful to
you, even if ?family life" is not an overriding concern for you. If it
is, on the other hand, you should take note of the survey?s overall
conclusion:
?We found that it's Canada's tortoises - our slow and steady smaller
cities - that have the best track records for providing what kids and
families need most. Our hares - the huge, fast-growing cities -
haven't done nearly as well, even in provinces where child care,
education and health care are well funded."
How authoritative are these surveys, anyway? I must confess that
question occurred to me when I read in the Today?s Parents article
that health care in the province of Alberta (where Calgary is located)
is ?below the middle mark.?
Finally, another personal note. I am familiar with most eastern
Canadian cities. Ottawa strikes me as a superb place to live. Not too
big. Not too small. As a world capital, it is far from being
provincial, AND its economic security and future are pretty much
assured. I think Ottawa should go on the top of your list for serious
consideration. (With of course, the caveat that winters can be
horrendous there. For temperate climate, go west?to Vancouver.)
I hope you find the perfect place to live.
All the best,
Scribe_ga |
