Delta is the top community in the Lower Mainland, according to Maclean’s magazine’s annual ranking of the best communities in the country.
The city, which ranked 9th in B.C. and 48th in Canada, scored top marks for internet access, amenities and population growth, moving it up 11 places from the previous ranking in 2019 and pushing it into first in the region after two years in the number two slot.
“The past year has been extremely challenging for all of us, but we are very pleased to see our hard work be recognized by Maclean’s,” Delta Mayor George Harvie said in a press release.
“From the beginning, we have been focused on keeping our community safe while providing the services and supports necessary to get through the pandemic together. Our philosophy of continuous improvement and working together shows in everything we do and I hope our residents and businesses take pride in their contributions to this tremendous result.”
The ranking — described as a “remote-worker version” of the magazine’s annual undertaking — considered housing affordability, population growth, taxes, crime, weather, access to health care, amenities and community engagement.
Those categories differ somewhat from previous years due to the pandemic, and “assumes remote work is here to stay,” Maclean’s explains of its methodology, noting categories that assess the local economy have been removed, while another category assessing internet quality was added.
The ranking, notes Maclean’s, was done “with an eye toward great living for people who don’t have to worry about finding a job within commuting distance.”
Other communities in the region placed as follows (Canada-wide rank in brackets): Coquitlam (54), City of North Vancouver (58), Port Moody (64), New Westminster (82), Chilliwack (90), Abbotsford (91), Burnaby (106), Port Coquitlam (121), Pitt Meadows (123), Township of Langley (125), City of Langley (129), Maple Ridge (135), White Rock (140), Mission (147), West Vancouver (168), Vancouver (174), Richmond (178), Surrey (182), District of North Vancouver (245) and “Greater Vancouver” (342).
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The top 10-ranked communities in B.C., according to Maclean’s, are Langford (18), Central Saanich (22), Sidney (23), Saanich (29), Vernon (30), Kamloops (37), Comox (38), Penticton (41), Delta (48) and Courtney (49).
Nationally, Halifax, N.S. and Charlottetown, P.E.I. tied for for the title of best community in Canada, followed by Fredricton, N.B.; St. Thomas, Ont.; Belleville, Ont.; Edmonton, Alta.; Winnipeg Man.; Moncton, N.B.; Cornwall, Ont.; Brooks, Alta.; and Toronto, Ont.
— with files from Tracy Holmes
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