10 Best Cities to Retire in Canada 2013

I often write about how Canada ranks on a global scale in areas 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 and the best country for child well-being in rich countries. 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 and 10 best cities for new immigrants in 2013. Today, I’ll be adding to this list by looking at the 10 best places to retire in Canada 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. The 10 best places to retire in Canada is made up from the findings of MoneySense’s Canada’s Best Places to Live 2013 list. The relative information was then compiled to make up the mini lists like the best places to retire in Canada. According to MoneySense, the top 10 best places to retire in Canada 2013 are:

Festival Theatre, Stratford, Ontario, Canada Credit: Malak, Ottawa

1. Victoria, British Columbia
2. Saanich, British Columbia
3. Kingston, Ontario
4. Burlington, Ontario
5. Ottawa, Ontario
6. Toronto, Ontario
7. Joliette, Quebec
8. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
9. Stratford, Ontario
10. Winnipeg, Manitoba

It seems that the best overall province for those looking to retire is Ontario, as it held five spots in the top ten. Overall you’ll find that most of the cities on the list have affordable real estate and property taxes, which is important because retirees often downsize to smaller homes. Access to a strong healthcare system can also be a deciding factor because as people age their medical needs tend to increase. Other important factors are access to culture, the arts, sports and other activities. This is because people want to be able to enjoy their golden years by taking part in these kinds of activities. With the ageing boomer population there is a greater demand for certain services and products so businesses can benefit from catering to this ageing customer base. Knowing the demographics of an area can help when it comes to marketing and your media approach. ____________________________________________________________________________________

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