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The Globe and Mail ranks the most desirable cities for newcomers arriving in Canada over the past five years based on easy integration into the community, access to basic amenities and affordable housing

This ranking, meant for individuals who have arrived in Canada over the past five years, places an emphasis on easy integration into the community, access to basic amenities and affordable housing. To reflect their needs, we placed additional weight on demographic factors, the economy and housing variables.

This is one of six rankings designed to help people find the best city for them based on their stage of life. When people are considering relocating to a new city, there are many factors worth considering. It’s a highly personal decision, but a ranking with the livability of a city at the centre can help provide some guidance.

We’ve collected data from 439 cities across the country, each with a population exceeding 10,000. Our evaluation involved an analysis of 43 variables, which span 10 categories that we’ve identified as particularly crucial when an individual contemplates relocating to a new area. These categories are Economy, Housing, Demographics, Health Care, Safety, Education, Community, Amenities, Transportation and Climate.

Canada’s most livable cities:
For newcomers

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    Our methodology

    When people are considering relocating to a new city, there are many factors worth considering. It’s a highly personal decision, but a ranking with the livability of a city at the centre can help provide some guidance.

    We’ve collected data from 439 cities across the country, each with a population exceeding 10,000. Our evaluation involved an analysis of 43 variables, which span 10 categories that we’ve identified as particularly crucial when an individual contemplates relocating to a new area. These categories are Economy, Housing, Demographics, Health Care, Safety, Education, Community, Amenities, Transportation and Climate.

    For each variable, the data underwent rescaling to generate scores ranging from 0 to 1, based on each city’s ranking position. For example, Vancouver was the second-most walkable community and received a high score of 0.998, whereas Thunder Bay ranked 186 and received a lower score of 0.578.

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