Canada

I confess, I’ve never actually been there. But the myriad of people I know who have lived in or visited the city all say the same thing: Vancouver is an absolutely fabulous place.

And it has some official backing.

The latest annual ranking[1] by the Economist Intelligence Unit claims Vancouver is the most liveable city in the world.

The survey scores locations according to five factors: stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Vancouver topped the poll with 98 out of a maximum 100, as it has done for the past two years. Toronto came fourth, with Calgary fifth.

Mercer’s annual Quality of Living Survey[2] holds Vancouver in similarly high regard – it placed fourth in the 2010 rankings, behind Vienna, Zurich and Geneva.

Meanwhile, this year’s Mercer survey also compiled a list of cities with the best eco-ranking, basing scores on water availability and potability, waste removal, quality of sewage systems, air pollution and traffic congestion. Calgary came out top, with Ottawa in joint third, behind Honolulu.

Canada scores

Indeed, Canada as a whole usually fares well in the various international surveys and rankings.

I may not have been to Vancouver, but I have visited Canada. OK, so a holiday is hardly the same thing as living there (especially as I never experienced the harshness of a Canadian winter). Still, it wasn’t hard to see why the country consistently ranks so highly: huge space … stunning and varied landscapes … diverse recreational activities … reasonable living costs (at least compared to the UK and parts of the United States) … a vibrant economy.

Expat choice

It seems many expats have come to the same conclusion. Canada is the second most popular destination in terms of total number of expatriates from the United States. Among Brits, it ranks fourth.

Expats in Canada seem pretty happy with their lot as well.

HSBC’s 2010 Expat Experience survey[3] asked expats from around the world how they found:

a)      Setting up in their new country of residence.

b)      Integrating into local society.

c)      Their quality of life compared to where they used to live.

Having topped the league in 2009, Canada slipped to second place in the 2010 report. But as HSBC noted, the country “still ranks high for expat lifestyle.”

Not that it is all great, of course. For one, there are those long, cold winters to get through.

The sheer scale has its downsides too – just getting anywhere can take an awfully long time.

(I remember going for a beer one evening during my trip – there wasn’t much to do in the small town where we were staying, so we were driven 90 minutes across the border to a bar in the States!)

And while Canada boasts a host of attractive cities, they can’t boast the same cultural riches as those in Europe and Asia.

Still, nowhere is perfect.