Who doesn’t like a good list? The ones at the bottom — that’s who.
So it should come as no surprise that some British Columbians felt slightly rankled when the Toronto-based Maclean’s Magazine released this year’s ranking of Canada’s best communities — of the 415 communities up for consideration, none from B.C. made the top 10.
B.C. doesn’t show up, in fact, until Premier John Horgan’s Vancouver Island riding of Langford pops up at number 17.
How did the Tri-Cities stack up?
According to the magazine, Coquitlam is the 54th best community in Canada and the best of the Tri-Cities. That’s followed by Port Moody, which came in 64 overall, and Port Coquitlam, which coming in 121st, snuck into the top third of Canadian communities (yay?).
Both Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam’s top features were Internet connectivity, amenities and population growth.
Port Moody, meanwhile, stood out for its Internet connectivity, population growth and community.
Note, the villages of Anmore and Belcarra were not considered in the MacLean's ranking.
It’s understandable that a reasonably priced and interesting city like Halifax could come out on top (Internet, amenities and affordability stand out for the Maritime city).
But why did B.C. fall so far down on the list? Was it the cost of living that did in the province’s communities?
More suspect still: Why does the prohibitively expensive city of Toronto slot in at number 11, while the prohibitively expensive Vancouver doesn't pop up until the 174th spot?
Toggle the weightings here and decide for yourself.
