North Vancouver the only BC city to make list of top 10 best places to live in Canada

Vancouver slips seven spots in MoneySense's rankings of towns, cities across Canada

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Vancouver may consistently rank among the most liveable regions in the world, but the it is nowhere near the top of a Canadian list of the best places to live.

MoneySense has ranked 209 towns and cities across the country based on cost of living, weather, crime, access to amenities and more.

Only one local municipality — the District of North Vancouver — cracks the top 10.

“Boucherville, Quebec was number one,” says MoneySense managing editor Mark Brown. “It was the dark horse in our report this year. It’s a city just outside Montreal, just across the St. Lawrence. It’s always ranked really well, but this year it jumped from number six to the top spot.”

Brown says Boucherville, a suburb of 43,000, has a lot going for it.

“We’re seeing low unemployment, high incomes, affordable housing, [and] solid population growth, which are some of the key areas we look at, along with good access to transit and a vibrant arts community.”

Vancouver slipped from 39th place in 2014 to the 46th spot this year.

“One of the contributing factors was a minor change in switching to median household incomes versus the average household income. Averages can be distorted a little bit when there is a lot of wealth in a city, so we wanted to get a figure that would give us a better idea of what’s actually happening,” explains Brown.

“Overall, though, the city is still a pretty good place to live in terms of all the categories we look at. Any city that is in the top 50, quite honestly, is really quite a good place to be.”

North Vancouver is the only BC city to make MoneySense’s top 10 best places to live in Canada.

“The District of North Vancouver is number nine this year, up from 25 in 2014. The positives are low unemployment, high incomes, low taxes, low crime, good access to transit and a vibrant arts community,” says Brown.

Delta, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody are among the top 10 places for new Canadians to live.

And good news for Port Alberni on central Vancouver Island: The city is no longer last on the list of best places to live in Canada, jumping above both Truro and New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.

In addition to the overall list, MoneySense also ranks the Best Places to Raise Kids, Best Places to Retire, Best Places for New Immigrants and Canada’s Richest Cities.

Canada’s Best Places to Live 2015 – Top 10 Overall

1. Boucherville, Que.

2. Ottawa, Ont.

3. Burlington, Ont.

4. St. Albert, Alta.

5. Blainville, Que.

6. Oakville, Ont.

7. Stratford, Ont.

8. Lévis, Que.

9. North Vancouver (District Municipality), B.C.

10. Quebec City, Que.

Top 10 places to raise kids

1. St. Albert, Alta.

2. Burlington, Ont.

3. Calgary, Alta.

4. Oakville, Ont.

5. Strathcona County, Alta.

6. Blainville, Que.

7. Ottawa, Ont.

8. Milton, Ont.

9. Halton Hills, Ont.

10. Spruce Grove, Alta.

Top 10 places to retire

1. Ottawa, Ont.

2. Toronto, Ont.

3. Stratford, Ont.

4. Victoria, B.C.

5. Rimouski, Que.

6. Kingston, Ont.

7. Gatineau, Que.

8. Quebec City, Que.

9. Joliette, Que

10. Burlington, Ont.

Top 10 places for new Canadians

1. Saanich, B.C.

2. Delta, B.C.

3. Brossard, Que.

4. Waterloo, Ont.

5. Ottawa, Ont.

6. Burlington, Ont.

7. Gatineau, Que.

8. Port Coquitlam, B.C.

9. Port Moody, B.C.

10. Stratford, Ont.

Top 10 richest cities

1. West Vancouver, B.C.

2. North Vancouver (District Municipality), B.C.

3. Canmore, Alta.

4. Oakville, Ont.

5. Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ont.

6. Vaughan, Ont.

7. Richmond Hill, Ont.

8. Aurora, Ont.

9. Caledon, Ont.

10. Markham, Ont.

Click here for the full rankings or pick up the Summer issue on newsstands, on Next Issue and via the MoneySense app starting June 3.