Maclean’s published their ranking of Canada’s best communities in 2021, and Edmonton is in the top 5.
Maclean’s magazine ranked Canadian communities in 2021 and Edmonton ranks in the top 5, as fifth best place to live.
The magazine is most famous for their published rankings of the best in different fields, such as the best universities in Canada and more. And every year, they rank the best places to live in Canada based on factors they believe are important to people.
This year, however, things are different. They realized, like many of us, that a lot has changed in our lives. Our priorities may not be the same anymore. Since March 2020, the measure of a good life may be different now. This is why their 2021 ranking is what they believe are people’s new priorities in a pandemic.
Their focus was on one of the biggest changes in our routines: remote work. Before the pandemic, their ranking factors included local economy, commute to work and other such measures. Now that remote work may be here for the long haul, those factors have become less relevant.
Maclean’s considers a pool of 415 communities across Canada. Rankings are created with a point system calculating the value of categories such as: affordability, taxes, weather, health, amenities, community, internet access and more.
Internet access is the new factor replacing those valuing local economy. It is based on the number of household members able to do remote work or school on a single internet connection. For Edmonton, it was 12. Ranking at number 1, Halifax’s number was 11. Edmonton’s top three features in order are internet access, amenities and health.
Life during the pandemic has created new priorities for everyone. There are things we didn’t consider before when choosing where to live. But a year into it, quarantines, lockdowns and all, we know that different things are important now. And in Canada, it looks like Edmonton ranks as one of the best places to be for the best life during a pandemic!
[Featured Image Source: Alicia Paydli via Unsplash]