Do you live in one of Canada’s genius towns, the kind of place that helps residents attain a better life—culturally, financially, socially? Or does your city lag behind?
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?
indicates the 2007-’09 trend
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 |
Source: Canadian Council on Learning, 2009 Composite Learning Index
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