Canada’s Best Places to Live 2014: Time to think small

By: Mark Brown, MoneySense

MoneySense’s ninth annual Canada’s Best Places to Live ranking measures the quality of life in 201 cities across the country. This year, small cities steal the show.

Who says size matters? If you’re looking for the best place in Canada to live, perhaps it’s time to think small. Really small. It’s easy to think residing in a modest-sized town means giving up access to all the services and amenities you need or desire, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Satellite communities around major centres are evolving to deliver small-town flare with big-city conveniences. In that way, many of these communities aren’t just great places to live: they’re Canada’s best-kept secrets. Take St. Albert, a community of just 64,000 on the edge of Edmonton that few Canadians have likely ever heard of. They have now, because St. Albert tops MoneySense’s annual Best Places to Live ranking. Rounding out the top 10 are Calgary, Strathcona County, Alta., Ottawa, Burlington, Ont., Boucherville, Que., Oakville, Ont. Edmonton, Regina and Québec City.

How did you city fare? Check out the full rankings.