Belleville has cracked the top five of MacLean’s magazine’s annual list of “best places to live in Canada”.
The Friendly City finished at number four on the list of 415, scoring high for its access to internet, health care and as Mayor Mitch Panciuk told CJBQ’s Lorne Brooker Show, it’s amenities.
“Things like the Empire Theatre, our tourism, hotels and all of the services that come with that. The sports centre, arts & culture, heritage and employers. Let’s also talk about the fact that the Belleville Senators are a really great amenity that improves peoples quality of life and makes them want to be here.”
The study also looked at things like crime, taxes, affordability, population growth and other factors.
Panciuk says while some people may not believe the rankings, the numbers don’t lie.
“If you listen to some of the naysayers, we can’t do anything right and everything is horrible, but statistics speak for themselves. They show that the investments by our partners are leading to more people being able to work from home and it makes us a much more attractive community.”
This year’s list was weighted differently by MacLean’s, taking into account that more people are working from home and assuming that trend will continue.
Halifax, Nova Scotia topped the list, with Fredericton, New Brunswick, St. Thomas, Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta rounding out the top five.
Quinte West was ranked 119th and Prince Edward County was ranked 321st.
You can click here for more on MacLean’s methodology for the study and click here to see the full rankings.
