New List of 20 Most Livable Cities in Canada for 2023

Last Updated On 27 November 2023, 11:52 AM EST (Toronto Time)

Victoria, in British Columbia, is ranked number 1 in the new list of 100 most livable cities in Canada for 2023, released by the Globe and Mail.

Data from 439 cities in Canada with populations greater than 10,000 people were studied.

These rankings are based on the economy, housing, demographics, health care, safety, education, community, amenities, transportation, and climate.

The data was rescaled for each variable to give scores ranging from 0 to 1, based on each city’s ranking position.

For example, Vancouver was the second-most walkable community with a score of 0.998, while Thunder Bay was number 186 with a score of 0.578.

Certain areas, such as economy and housing, were given higher weight since they are more important for individuals choosing a place to reside in and were weighted more heavily than comparatively less important categories, such as climate and amenities.

The same methodology was used for factors within each category; for example, proximity to grocery stores was given more weight than proximity to libraries, recognizing that the former had a higher impact on an average person’s quality of life.

Six of the top 10 most livable cities in Canada are in British Columbia.

Winnipeg in Manitoba, Regina in Saskatchewan, and Burlington in Ontario are ranked numbers 3, 4, and 5.

CityProvinceVictoriaBritish ColumbiaNorth VancouverBritish ColumbiaWinnipegManitobaReginaSaskatchewanBurlingtonOntarioWest VancouverBritish ColumbiaSaanichBritish ColumbiaCalgaryAlbertaPitt MeadowsBritish ColumbiaOak BayBritish ColumbiaMont-RoyalQuebecSaskatoonSaskatchewanCanmoreAlbertaVancouverBritish ColumbiaLangleyBritish ColumbiaWestmountQuebecPort CoquitlamBritish ColumbiaNew WestminsterBritish ColumbiaFort St. JohnBritish ColumbiaMaple RidgeBritish Columbia20 Most Livable Cities in CanadaVictoria, B.C.

Only one city from Ontario made it to the top 20 most livable cities for 2023, while Canadian capital Ottawa is ranked at number 24.

The largest city in Canada, Toronto, is ranked at number 64 among the country’s most livable cities.

Overall RankCity5Burlington24Ottawa26Pickering29Oakville33Vaughan39Hamilton41Guelph47Tecumseh48Lincoln50Markham54Norwich55Wellesley56Waterloo59Woolwich64Toronto70Mapleton76Centre Wellington79Whitchurch-Stouffville81North Perth83Newmarket20 Most Livable Cities in OntarioAn aerial of the waterfront in Burlington, Ontario, Canada

12 of the top 20 most livable cities in Canada are in ‘Beautiful’ British Columbia.

Overall RankCity1Victoria2North Vancouver6West Vancouver7Saanich9Pitt Meadows10Oak Bay14Vancouver15Langley17Port Coquitlam18New Westminster19Fort St. John20Maple Ridge21Squamish23Delta25Colwood28Penticton32Parksville35Prince George37Abbotsford38Cranbrook20 Most Livable Cities in British ColumbiaVancouver Skyline at Sunset

Mont-Royal and Westmount are among the top 20 most livable cities in Quebec for 2023.

Overall RankCity11Mont-Royal16Westmount30Rosemère44Québec49Lévis57Laval58Gatineau62La Prairie74Longueuil78Boucherville94Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville97Kirkland>100Sherbrooke>100Côte-Saint-Luc>100Beaconsfield>100Saint-Hyacinthe>100Repentigny>100Saint-Lambert>100Rivière-du-Loup>100Sainte-Marie20 Most Livable Cities in QuebecQuebec City skyline over river with blue sky and cloud.

Calgary and Canmore are among the top 20 most livable cities in Canada with provincial capital, Edmonton ranked at number 27.

Overall RankCity8Calgary13Canmore27Edmonton31St. Albert36Lethbridge46Strathcona County51Wood Buffalo52Olds65Okotoks91Lacombe96Cochrane98Red Deer>100Lethbridge County>100Lloydminster>100Camrose>100Spruce Grove>100Fort Saskatchewan>100Grande Prairie>100Strathmore>100Cold Lake20 Most Livable Cities in AlbertaCalgary Downtown

3 cities from the Prairies made up the 20 most livable cities in Canada, with a total of 6 cities being ranked in the 100 most livable cities in the region.

Overall RankCity3Winnipeg, Manitoba4Regina, Saskatchewan12Saskatoon, Saskatchewan22Brandon, Manitoba69East St. Paul, Manitoba73Yorkton, Saskatchewan>100Lloydminster, Saskatchewan>100Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan>100Prince Albert, Saskatchewan>100Swift Current, Saskatchewan>100Weyburn, Saskatchewan>100North Battleford, Saskatchewan>100Martensville, Saskatchewan>100Warman, Saskatchewan>100Estevan, Saskatchewan>100Selkirk, Manitoba>100Portage la Prairie, Manitoba>100Steinbach, Manitoba>100Thompson, Manitoba>100St. Andrews, Manitoba20 most livable cities in PrairiesWinnipeg panorama at sunset.

Only two cities (both from New Brunswick) made it to the 100 most livable cities in Canada this year.

Overall RankCity43Fredericton, New Brunswick60Dieppe, New Brunswick>100Halifax, Nova Scotia>100Moncton, New Brunswick>100Quispamsis, New Brunswick>100St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador>100Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island>100Rothesay, New Brunswick>100Saint John, New Brunswick>100Edmundston, New Brunswick>100Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador>100Miramichi, New Brunswick>100Riverview, New Brunswick>100Stratford, Prince Edward Island>100Bathurst, New Brunswick>100Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador>100Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador>100Summerside, Prince Edward Island>100Colchester, Subd. B, Nova Scotia>100Truro, Nova Scotia20 Most Livable Cities in Atlantic CanadaFredericton, New Brunswick

100 most livable cities in canada,