How smart is your city?
See how Canada’s major cities stack up, from best to worst, and whether they’ve risen or declined in the past two years. The biggest didn’t necessarily do best (Saskatoon beats Toronto) and it wasn’t only boom towns that did well (Calgary is No. 1, but Guelph, Ont., is up there, too). Cities with the most opportunities for lifelong learning topped this list from the Canadian Council on Learning—and won their residents safer neighbourhoods, better health, and even higher wages. How did your city fare?
| CITY | OVERALL SCORE | LEARNING TO KNOW | LEARNING TO DO | LEARNING TO LIVE | LEARNING TO BE | |
| Calgary | 89 | ![]() | 5.7 | 7.1 | 5.7 | 7.3 |
| Victoria | 88 | ![]() | 6.0 | 7.0 | 5.5 | 7.1 |
| Saskatoon | 86 | ![]() | 4.0 | 6.4 | 6.1 | 7.1 |
| Guelph, Ont. | 85 | ![]() | 5.2 | 6.6 | 7.3 | 6.1 |
| Barrie, Ont. | 84 | ![]() | 5.3 | 7.2 | 5.8 | 6.0 |
| Ottawa | 84 | ![]() | 6.0 | 6.9 | 5.6 | 6.2 |
| Regina | 84 | ![]() | 3.7 | 6.2 | 6.8 | 6.7 |
| Kitchener, Ont. | 83 | ![]() | 5.5 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 6.1 |
| Edmonton | 82 | ![]() | 5.6 | 7.0 | 5.6 | 5.6 |
| Kelowna, B.C. | 82 | ![]() | 5.4 | 6.8 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| Oshawa, Ont. | 81 | ![]() | 5.2 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 5.5 |
| Winnipeg | 81 | ![]() | 4.1 | 6.9 | 5.6 | 5.8 |
| Brampton, Ont. | 80 | ![]() | 6.1 | 6.5 | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| Halifax | 80 | ![]() | 3.8 | 6.2 | 4.8 | 6.2 |
| Mississauga, Ont. | 80 | ![]() | 6.1 | 6.6 | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| Toronto | 80 | ![]() | 6.1 | 6.6 | 5.5 | 5.4 |
| Gatineau, Que. | 79 | 4.5 | 6.8 | 5.5 | 5.1 | |
| Kingston, Ont. | 79 | ![]() | 5.4 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 5.3 |
| London, Ont. | 79 | ![]() | 5.3 | 7.1 | 5.5 | 4.9 |
| Fredericton | 78 | ![]() | 3.6 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 5.6 |
| Hamilton, Ont. | 77 | ![]() | 5.3 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 4.7 |
| St. Catharines, Ont. | 77 | ![]() | 5.2 | 6.6 | 5.2 | 4.8 |
| Thunder Bay, Ont. | 77 | ![]() | 5.2 | 6.4 | 5.5 | 4.9 |
| Vancouver | 77 | ![]() | 6.4 | 6.1 | 4.7 | 5.1 |
| Québec | 76 | ![]() | 4.6 | 6.5 | 4.2 | 5.1 |
| Abbotsford, B.C. | 74 | ![]() | 5.4 | 5.7 | 4.3 | 4.9 |
| St. John’s | 74 | ![]() | 4.5 | 6.2 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Windsor, Ont. | 74 | ![]() | 5.5 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 4.2 |
| Charlottetown | 73 | ![]() | 2.7 | 6.0 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
| Sudbury, Ont. | 72 | ![]() | 5.0 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.8 |
| Moncton, N.B. | 70 | ![]() | 3.2 | 5.6 | 4.8 | 4.3 |
| Longueuil, Que. | 69 | ![]() | 4.8 | 5.6 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
| Laval, Que. | 68 | ![]() | 4.8 | 5.5 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
| Montréal | 68 | ![]() | 4.8 | 5.5 | 3.8 | 4.0 |
| Saint John, N.B. | 67 | ![]() | 3.3 | 6.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Sherbrooke, Que. | 65 | ![]() | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| Trois-Rivières, Que. | 61 | ![]() | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
| Saguenay, Que. | 60 | ![]() | 4.1 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 3.5 |
indicates the 2007-’09 trendSource: Canadian Council on Learning, 2009 Composite Learning Index
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