Calgary has been named the most attractive Canadian city for migrants, according to a new report from the Conference Board of Canada.
The second such report from the Conference Board ranks cities on 41 indicators across seven categories: society, health, economy, environment, education, innovation and housing.
Waterloo, Ottawa, Vancouver, St. John's and Richmond Hill were also named "A" grade cities.
"Cities that fail to attract new people will struggle to stay prosperous and vibrant," Mario Lefebvre, director of the Centre for Municipal Studies, said in a press release. "These six cities come out on top across all rankings, so they appear to have an overall winning combination that is attractive to migrants. Although it would be hard to imagine a more diverse group of cities, each has particular strengths that make them magnets to newcomers, both from within Canada and abroad."
Calgary ranked first in the innovation category and second for housing. Waterloo, a noted university and technology hub, was named first in the education category. Vancouver made the Conference Board's list because of an "enviable climate and a vibrancy that comes from its young, diverse, and multicultural population."
Fourteen cities received a "B" grade, including Toronto, which did well in the society field, but performed poorly in both the environment and health categories. Edmonton, Victoria, Markham, Vaughan, Kingston, Oakville, Guelph, London, Halifax, Lévis, Regina, Québec City, and Burlington also received a "B".
Other major urban centres, such as Winnipeg, Montréal, and Hamilton, received a "C" grade from the Conference Board for low scores in health and economy, while several mid-sized cities, such as Brantford, Laval and Saint John received a "D" for struggling economies and a lack of population growth.
