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The Most Livable City

Vancouver has once again snagged top honours as the world's most livable city, while Harare, Zimbabwe, was pronounced the toughest city to live in.

Canadian and Australian cities hold six of the top 10 slots in the Economist Intelligence Unit's global livability poll, which ranks 140 cities on five factors: health care, stability, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

"I'm not surprised," Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said. "There's often focus on our challenges and negativity, but when you look at the big picture, Vancouver is a remarkable place to live and work and it's great to be recognized for that."

The poll listed Vancouver in first place with a rating of 98 per cent, with the report noting the city's only challenges were "petty crime and availability of good-quality housing."

Vancouver was followed by Vienna, Melbourne and Toronto in the top four, while Helsinki, Geneva, Zurich and Sydney also placed among the top-10 livable destinations.

The report noted there wasn't much difference among the top- 10 cities, which tended to be mid-sized, in developed countries with a low population density and with lower crime levels or infrastructure problems often caused by large populations. London and Manchester, for instance, also placed in the top tier, but weren't as high, reflecting "the challenges faced by many large urban centres," the report said. [read more...]

Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. Air Canada is the world's 8th largest passenger airline by fleet size, and the airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, an alliance of 26 member airlines formed in 1997. The airline's parent company is the publicly traded firm ACE Aviation Holdings.

» Message from Mayor of Vancouver City, Gregor Robertson

Canada occupies a major northern portion of North America, sharing land borders with the contiguous United States to the south and the U.S. state of Alaska to the northwest, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean. By total area (including its waters), Canada is the second largest country in the world—after Russia—and largest on the continent. By land area, it ranks fourth. Since 1925, Canada has claimed the portion of the Arctic between 60°W and 141°W longitude, but this claim is not universally recognized. The northernmost settlement in Canada (and the world) is Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island—latitude 82.5°N—just 817 kilometres (450 nautical miles, 508 miles) from the North Pole. Canada has the longest coastline in the world: 243,000 kilometres (151,000 miles).

Capitol of BC, Victoria	Largest country after Russia	Natural habitat for rare species

The population density, 3.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (9.1/sq mi), is among the lowest in the world. The most densely populated part of the country is the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor, (Southern Quebec - Southern Ontario) along the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River in the southeast.

Vancouver

Vancouver is recognized as one of the world's most livable cities due to its location by the Coast Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean. Its first settlers were Coast Salish people. The archaeological evidence shows that they had settled the Vancouver area by 500 BC.

Granville Island, Vancouver	Bird view of the Vancouver downtown	Vancouver at night

The City of Vancouver is renowned for its innovative programs in the areas of sustainability, accessibility and inclusivity. In 2010, Vancouver will host the world at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Snow boarding, Vancouver	2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver	Rockies

 

 

Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Stephen Harper

As Prime Minister, Mr. Harper is committed to building a Canada that remains strong, united, independent and free. He is committed to enacting accountability measures for government, lowering taxes for working families, helping parents cope with the costs of child care, reforming the criminal justice system and rebuilding the Canadian Forces. [read more...]

 

 

Mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson

Gregor Robertson was elected Mayor of Vancouver on November 15, 2008.

Gregor is committed to building a sustainable and prosperous future for Vancouver. Prior to entering politics, Gregor co-founded Happy Planet, and grew the Vancouver-based socially responsible company up to 50 employees in 10 years. Happy Planet produces organic juices, promotes health and nutrition, and supports family farms and communities. Happy Planet received the Ethics in Action Award in 2004, and was awarded the Vancouver Mayor's Environmental Award for exemplary achievement in 2003. For his achievements as a successful entrepreneur and community leader, Gregor was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” by The Globe and Mail in 2004.

Gregor and his wife Amy have four children: Terra, Satchel, Jinagh and Johanna. He is an avid cyclist and loves to play soccer. [read more...]