10 Best Cities for Kids in Canada 2013

I often explore how Canada ranks on the world scale through posts such as best countries to live, the smartest countries, the happiest countries, the  most peaceful countries, the most sustainable countries, the friendliest countries, the most charitable countries, the most prosperous countries, the best countries for quality of life, the Best Countries for Business in 2013, the top 20 countries for life expectancy at birth, the best countries for working women, the best country for World Travel & Tourism, the most sustainable countries, the top countries in Clean Capitalism, the best country for child well-being, the best countries for social progress and the best countries for education systems. It can also be interesting to take a look inwards and see how various cities or provinces within Canada compare to one another. Recently I’ve delved into this topic by looking at Canada’s 10 best (large) cities,  the 10 best cities for new immigrants and the 10 best cities to retire. Today I am writing about the 10 best places for kids in Canada in 2013 released by MoneySense.

MoneySense is “Canada’s leading personal finance magazine and leading personal finance website.” In compiling this series of lists, 200 Canadian cities were rated and MoneySense added “11 new categories to [their] process, bringing the total number of categories [they] track to 33 to get an even better picture of what life is like in each community.” The main criteria used were: walk/bike to work, transit, weather, population growth, unemployment, housing, household income, discretionary income, new cars, income taxes, sales taxes, property tax rate, property tax paid as percentage of income, crime, doctors, health professionals, number of doctor’s offices per thousand people, amenities, and culture. 

Downtown Calgary from Prince’s Island Park from wikitravel.org

This 10 best cities for kids list was derived from MoneySense’s Canada’s Best Places to Live 2013. The relative information like the percentage of the population under 18, availability of daycare and low crime rates were taken into account to create this “mini-list”. According to MoneySense the 10 best places for kids in Canada 2013 are:

1. Calgary, Alberta
2. Blainville, Quebec
3. St. Albert, Alberta
4. Strathcona Country, Alberta
5. Lévis, Quebec
6. Boucherville, Quebec
7. Terrebonne, Quebec
8. Repentigny, Quebec
9. Gatineau, Quebec
10. Lacombe, Alberta

When reviewing this list, it appears that the best provinces for children in Canada are Alberta and Quebec. The recurring information that led to these cities being chosen mirror what families value in a community: lower crime rates, affordable housing, access to good daycare and home to other families with children. In some cases, the city also represented lower taxes, higher income along with the benefits of large city living.

Families would be more likely to move to areas that meet their needs and lists of this nature can be useful as a resource for such information. Companies can also use this if they are relocating employees with families. Other cities that did not make this list might want to make improvements so that they too can appeal to families (and businesses) looking to relocate.

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