The Best Cities for Women to Live in Canada

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives published a report in October 2016 which revealed the top cities for women to live in Canada. This study examined 25 metropolitan areas across Canada and focused on gaps between men and women regarding access to leadership positions, economic security, education, personal security, and health. Each metropolitan area received a score for these individual factors as well as an overall comparative ranking. The gender equality index used in the report was based on the gender equality measures developed by the United Nations and the World Economic Forum.

According to The Best and Worst Places to be a Woman in Canada 2016, the top 25 metropolitan areas for women to live in Canada (in terms of the factors examined) are: (1) Victoria (British Columbia); (2) Kingston (Ontario); (3) London (Ontario); (4) Quebec City (Quebec); (5) Gatineau (Quebec); (6) Montreal (Quebec); (7) Sherbrooke (Quebec); (8) St. John’s (Newfoundland and Labrador); (9) Vancouver (British Columbia); (10) Halifax (Nova Scotia); (11) Toronto (Ontario); (12) Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (Ontario); (13) Hamilton (Ontario); (14) Ottawa (Ontario); (15) Abbotsford-Mission (British Columbia); (16) Barrie (Ontario); (17) Kelowna (British Columbia); (18) Regina (Saskatchewan); (19) St. Catharines-Niagara (Ontario); (20) Winnipeg (Ontario); (21) Saskatoon (Saskatchewan); (22) Edmonton (Alberta); (23) Calgary (Alberta); (24) Oshawa (Ontario); and (25) Windsor (Ontario).  

For the second year in a row, Victoria, the provincial capital of British Columbia, came in first place as the best city for women to live in Canada, according to this report. In addition to being ranked #1 overall, Victoria was rated #2 for women in leadership positions; #5 regarding economic security for women; #11 for educational attainment of women; #17 for health; and #18 for security. Victoria’s strongest factor was leadership positions held by women. For example, Victoria's mayor and most of the city council are women. The wage gap between men and women is also lower in Victoria than the other Canadian metropolitan areas in the study. Furthermore, women who live in Victoria have a higher likelihood than men of completing secondary school, college or university. The percentage of women in Victoria with high school, college or university degrees is also more than men who live in Canada and the Canadian national average.

Although inequality exists in countries around the globe, there are some places where there are higher levels of equality and opportunity for people from various demographic groups, including men and women. For example, Canada is one of the most multicultural countries in the world, ranked #1 for personal freedom and #1 for tolerance toward immigrants by the 2015 Legatum Prosperity Index. Women who live in Canada also enjoy one of the highest levels of equality in the world, comparable to women in the United States. As one of the world’s safest and most prosperous countries, boasting some of the top universities in the world, Canada offers its residents from a variety of backgrounds – women, men and children – the opportunity to experience a high quality of life. This is a major reason why Canada has one of the best reputations of any country on Earth and why hundreds of thousands of people immigrate to Canada every year. If you are interested in Canadian immigration and want to receive an expert assessment of your best option to immigrate to Canada, click here!