Resonance Consultancy today
announced the 25 top-performing Canadian cities with populations under 200,000.
A leading advisor in real estate, tourism and economic development, Resonance's Best
Cities rankings quantify and benchmark the relative quality of place, reputation and
competitive identity for cities all over the world. They are lauded as the world's most
thorough city ranking, based on a unique methodology that analyzes key statistics as well
as user-generated reviews and online activity in channels such as Google, Facebook and
Instagram.
“Our Best Cities rankings have been the global benchmark for measuring city performance
since 2014, used by global governments and media like National Geographic and AFAR to
evaluate the trajectory of the world’s urban centres both large and small,” says Resonance
President & CEO Chris Fair.
“The Best Cities rankings are composed of experiential factors
that people consider most important in choosing a city to live and visit, as well as empirical
factors that business decision-makers consider important for business or investment.”
As a result, Resonance's Best Cities rankings don't just consider cities as places to live,
work or visit, but take a more holistic approach using a wide range of factors that show
positive correlations with attracting employment, investment and/or visitors. These range
from the number of quality culinary experiences and museums, to employment, direct flight
connections and mentions each city has on Instagram.
New for 2022, the Best Small Cities in Canada ranking revealed the top-performing
Canadian cities with metropolitan populations under 200,000.
Based on each city's performance in the 32 factors analyzed in 2022, these are Canada’s
Best Small Cities this year:
1) Victoria, BC
2) Kelowna, BC
3) Kingston, ON
4) Niagara Falls, ON
5) Waterloo, ON
6) North Vancouver, BC
7) Burlington, ON
8) Guelph, ON
9) Fredericton, NB
10) Lethbridge, AB
The full ranking and profiles of the top 25 cities is available at BestCities.org.
And why does a ranking of Canada’s best small cities matter now?
“As our cities and borders reopen, it is clear that cities have been changed by the
pandemic—and so have Canadians,” says Resonance President & CEO Chris Fair.
“The headline-grabbing anecdotes about an urban exodus turned into tangible migration
patterns and real estate appreciation. The collective trauma of the past two years has
Canadians following those who have already sought a change to their pre-pandemic status
quo,” he adds. “Combined with record numbers of immigrants arriving in the country over
the next few years, Canada’s urban centres of all sizes will face opportunities—and
challenges—like never before.”
The Canada’s Best Small Cities ranking outlines, both quantitatively and qualitatively,
which cities are positioned to thrive and why. This insight is key for Canadians considering
new hometowns, investors looking for growth, and governments preparing for an uncertain
decade ahead.