Saturday, May 26, 2012Mostly Cloudy 18°C
City

Toronto Gets 15th Place in Quality of Life Survey

Posted by Eugene / April 2, 2007

20070402_ilovethiscity.jpgIn your face Luxembourg! Toronto has been ranked 15th among international cities in quality of life according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting. That puts us in second place for Canada (after Vancouver which ranked 3rd and ahead of Montreal in 22nd place).

The study compared 215 cities and was based on 39 factors including economy, safety and environment.

While Toronto did well (low crime, low cost-of-living), we were penalized by our harsh winters, poor air quality (remember last summer), and traffic. Our environmental problems put us in 21st place in the category of health and sanitation, below Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary which placed first internationally in this category.

Other studies have said similar things to this one - we're good, but we could get better (we ranked 15th last year in the same survey). In the end, the most fun part of these surveys is saying we're better than someone else (I'm looking at you 16th place Berlin).

See Highlights from the 2007 Quality of Living Survey here.
Photo courtesy of e.dward's photos from the blogTO flickr pool

Discussion

19 Comments

carwash jimmy / April 2, 2007 at 01:09 pm
user-pic
Way to go Vancouver - #1 in Canada and #3 in the world!
Roy Veniot / April 2, 2007 at 01:32 pm
user-pic
Are You kiddin people die un Toronto every year because of the polution there are days when they tell you should stay inside because the air is so bad i wouldn't live in TO. if they gave me a place must be a lot of money involed in this survey...
Jerrold / April 2, 2007 at 01:55 pm
user-pic
Calgary (tar sands?) got # 1 in the world for health and sanitation!?!? How?
rotenblog / April 2, 2007 at 02:34 pm
user-pic
man, we pwnd the states! absolutely pwnd!

Top ranking for cities in the Americas

The top five cities in the Americas were:
* Vancouver (3rd)
* Toronto (15th)
* Ottawa (tied for 18th)
* Montreal (22nd)
* Calgary (24th)
Phill / April 2, 2007 at 03:59 pm
user-pic
Nice...

...just a remark about air quality... despite the smog, Toronto is fairly nice compared to many cities in Europe. Be happy you have as many days as you do to breath... and that you have buildings that are nice enough to stay in on the days you can't (typing this as I try to find a way to stop the smog from seeping through the window on my appartment in eastern Europe)
Mike / April 2, 2007 at 05:27 pm
user-pic
Quote: "Calgary (tar sands?) got # 1 in the world for health and sanitation!?!? How?

Posted by: Jerrold at April 2, 2007 1:55 PM"

Get your facts straight Jerry. The tar sands are 750 km north of Calgary. Just so you are capable of understanding the distance... thats about the same distance from Toronto to Quebec City.

Calgary is a beautiful city and when it comes to cleanliness, Toronto is a dump compared to Calgary.
Jerrold / April 2, 2007 at 06:28 pm
user-pic
How's the air in Edmonton?

<a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/images/P1-AE389_Heavy__20060326181214.gif";>map</a>
Jordan / April 2, 2007 at 07:17 pm
user-pic
Life's best in the West!
Alfredo / April 2, 2007 at 07:53 pm
user-pic
So if Vancouver is 1st in Canada and 3rd in the world, how come your headline is about Toronto? Toronto centric again!!!!! Canada is also beyond Toronto.
Dave / April 2, 2007 at 07:58 pm
user-pic
Reading these posts reminds me of how seperatist this whole country really is! (do the citizens of any other country in the world hate each other as much as Canadians do each other?)
Jerrold / April 2, 2007 at 09:14 pm
user-pic
Alfredo, blogTO is a web site about by Torontonians, about Toronto :)
Mike / April 3, 2007 at 01:14 am
user-pic
Quote: "How's the air in Edmonton?

map

Posted by: Jerrold at April 2, 2007 6:28 PM"

A hell of a lot better than Toronto. I've been to TO in the summertime and the atmosphere hanging over the city is the color of dirt.
Not to say that Toronto doesn't have its good qualities... its just that the environment isn't one of them. Give me the clean fresh air of Calgary any day... plus we have those gorgeous mountains to look at... every day of the week.
Lenny / April 3, 2007 at 04:44 am
user-pic
Toronto would be better if they got rid of the human trash from the streets, those people who sleep in their own urine on the sidewalks and hold doors open for you while asking for change.
Gloria / April 3, 2007 at 08:02 am
user-pic
Pollution is a fact of life in cities of millions. Not saying Toronto shouldn't be penalized for its poor air quality, because it's a serious problem for both the health of its residents and the environment, but it remains that when you look at dense urban areas, pollution is inevitably higher. Comparing places like Calgary, with a fifth of the population of Toronto (according to Wikipedia), is comparing apples to oranges.
Dave / April 3, 2007 at 11:10 am
user-pic
Lenny, you are a perfect example of "Human Trash".
Jerrold / April 3, 2007 at 11:11 am
user-pic
Please settle down, guys. There's no need to get nasty.
TdotLover / April 3, 2007 at 08:16 pm
user-pic
Makes me wonder why Toronto-haters would spend time reading a blog that is about TORONTO. Not to mention taking the time to chime in.

You're not really showing that Western "chill vibe" that you Westerners are supposed to have, are you?

Drop the hate or go home.
Eugene / April 5, 2007 at 08:02 am
user-pic
I'm surprised that this would cause any inter-Canada hatin', especially when you consider how many Canadian cities were high-up in this list. If anything, seeing Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto on the same international list of top quality-of-life cities should bring us together (the highest ranked America city, Honolulu, was only 27th place). Hold me back from belting out O'Canada on the way to work!
Danielle / April 27, 2007 at 01:57 am
user-pic
I've visited Vancouver and the air-quality was the first thing I cherished during my visit. I'd never had mountain air before, and that week was pretty awesome. I came back here and it took a day to get reacclimated but I was really grateful for that week of break from Toronto air :D

Add a Comment

Other Cities: VancouverMontreal