The 100 Most Livable Cities in Canada - 2024

London Isn't One of Them (Again)

   Last year the G&M published a ranking of the "Most Livable Cities" in Canada, to help you determine in which city you would choose to live. Given that London did not appear among the "Top 100," I figured I would call that fact to your attention. It is typically the case that if one fairs poorly in a ranking, it is best to move on to a subject that is better rated. Since you probably did not read about London's poor ranking in what is left of the local news sources, have a look at this: "The 100 Most Livable Cities in Canada" in MM. You will learn from it that the closest Livable City appears to be Middlesex Centre. If you would prefer to rely on the original analysis (a good idea) see: "Canada's Most Livable Cities: Explore Our Data-Driven Ranking of the Most Desirable Places to Live in the Country," Mahima Singh and Chen Wang, Globe and Mail, Nov. 25, 2023. 

The News Is Not Good (for London)
   The data have been crunched again by the same authors and the 2024 edition of "Canada's Most Livable Cities" will be found in the G&M, Dec.12. If you are headed to a convenience store for some beer, you still may be able to grab a copy if city officials didn't abscond with all of them. I will provide here, the top 10 nice big places to live in Canada.

    Last year, I did not bother to say much about London since it was not among the 100 Most Livable Cities. This year, I dug a little deeper and found London buried among the 448 communities for which a number of variables were analyzed. Unfortunately London's rankings are not good and have gotten worse. Like I said earlier, you should look at the original article, where the methodology is explained. The article, by the way, was nominated for a Digital Publishing Award, (see, G&M, April 25, 2024.)
   

   There are sub-rankings as well and the Top 20 are listed. Unfortunately London doesn't appear, but at least it does creep into the Top 100 in one category - as a place for Entrepreneurs. The bad news is that London did worse in all categories this year.

                                                      Sub-rankings

            

                                               2024    2023

Full Ranking                         168      139

For Young Professionals.   166        99

For Raising Kids.                 129      116
For Midlife Transitions         254      196

For Retirement                      306      152

For Newcomers                     213      163

For Entrepreneurs                 76        74

You should look at the original article and especially the comments. There are, for example, many who think their city deserves a higher spot than Winnipeg. 
  MM is London-based and I have lived here for many years. Although I don't think London is as "Livable" a place as it was fifty years ago, I would think that most people in most cities (even in the top 100) would say the same thing. And I still think it is likely better than say, Winnipeg.  
(Readers of MM know how I rate Toronto and you will be able to tell from these titles: Toronto the Carbuncle and Toronto the Carbuncle (Update).)

The 100 Most Livable Cities in Canada

London Isn't One of Them 
   In late November, The Globe and Mail produced a ranking related to "Canada's Most Livable Cities." Among the cities deemed to be desirable places to live, London is not found. One of the rules about rankings is that if one is not mentioned, or does poorly, it is best not to call attention to it. I have not read anything in the local press about the "100 Most Livable Cities," but that makes sense since London is not one of them and it is better not to call our attention to the fact that London is a less desirable place to reside than Winnipeg. Far less, since Winnipeg is No.3 and London, as I mentioned, is not on the list.
   Those cities which did show up on the list have been busy bragging about it. Since news about the great cities in which to live is scarce hereabouts, I will call your attention to the accolades from elsewhere. 

Middlesex Centre

   Here is part of the puffery from close by:

"Middlesex Centre, Ontario, November 27, 2023 – The Municipality of Middlesex Centre has been named one of Canada’s Most Livable Cities for 2023 by The Globe and Mail.

Coming in at number 89 out of the 439 cities included, Middlesex Centre was the only community in the London-Middlesex area to rank in the top 100.

“We are thrilled to be recognized among Canada’s most livable cities,” says Mayor Aina DeViet. “As residents, we know that Middlesex Centre is a wonderful place to call home, and I’m proud that we are being acknowledged alongside so many beautiful areas of the country.”

The Globe and Mail considered 43 variables in 10 categories when developing the rankings. The categories – economy, housing, demographics, health care, safety, education, community, amenities, transportation and climate – were selected as they reflect what people consider important when relocating to a new community. 

Middlesex Centre ranked in the top 30 cities across the country for community, economy, and education."

   If, like me, you did not realize there were 100 cities in Canada (let alone, 'livable' ones) you may be wondering what a 'city' is. According to the G&M, there are over 8,000 of them and data were collected from the 439 Canadian cities with a population of over 10,000. I am not sure where London ranks among the other 438.

Lambton Shores

   How Lambton did you will see from this graphic:

Where Lambton is located you will learn from this map:

Burlington

   Here is the bragging from Burlington: 

"We already knew this, and  now the rest of Canada does too: Burlington is the top livable city in Ontario, and ranks fifth in Canada, according to a new study published by the Globe and Mail."

   They helpfully list the other nice places to live in Ontario. London is not mentioned:

Ottawa, 24

Pickering, 26.                                          

Oakville, 29

Vaughan, 33

Hamilton, 39

Guelph, 41

Tecumseh, 47

Lincoln, 48

Markham, 50

Norwich, 54

Wellesley, 55

Waterloo, 56

Woolwich, 59

Toronto, 64

Mapleton, 70

Centre Wellington, 76

Whitchurch-Stouffville, 79

North Perth, 81

Newmarket, 83

Whitby, 85

Kingston, 86

Middlesex Centre, 89

King, 90

LaSalle, 92

Lambton Shores, 93

Niagara Falls, 99

Halton Hills, 100

Victoria

   I have saved for the bottom, the top livable city in Canada and it pointed out how careful the G&M was in undertaking such an assessment:

"Victoria has clinched the coveted title of the most livable city in Canada, according to a comprehensive ranking conducted by The Globe and Mail.

Other Vancouver Island communities also garnered notable recognition for the nation’s top 100, proving that it wasn’t solely the capital city making waves in the rankings.

In a meticulous evaluation encompassing 439 cities nationwide, The Globe and Mail scrutinized various criteria ranging from economy, housing, and healthcare to education and climate."

The cities on a rainy island did well:

1. Victoria

7. Saanich

10. Oak Bay

25. Colwood

32. Parksville

40. Central Saanich

63. Nanaimo

78. Sidney

   Although such city rankings are typically not noted by those cities which did poorly in them, or were not even mentioned, they do attract the attention of those looking for a desirable place to live. This is from India:

"The 20 Best Liveable Cities For Newbie In Canada," by Aryan Adarsh, Dec.7, 2023:

Victoria, British Columbia 

Winnipeg, Manitoba

North Vancouver, British Columbia 

Saanich, British Columbia 

Wellesley, Ontario 

Burlington, Ontario 

Regina, Saskatchewan 

Delta, British Columbia 

Maple Ridge, British Columbia 

West Vancouver, British Columbia 

Oak Bay, British Columbia 

Abbotsford, British Columbia 

Colwood, British Columbia 

Norwich, Ontario

Parksville, British Columbia 

Fort St. John, British Columbia 

Port Coquitlam, British Columbia 

Middlesex Centre, Ontario 

Coldstream, British Columbia 

The Source: "Canada's Most Livable Cities," Mahima Singh & Chen Wang, The Globe and Mail, Nov. 25, 2023.

The Bonus:

   Those of you who are curious about other livable cities around the world should see the Economist, which published (with a slightly different spelling), "The World's Most Liveable Cities," on June 21, 2023. Here is a bit from it and there are a couple of Canadian cities listed, but not London.