Saanich Peninsula Ranks In The Top 50 Of The 415 Best Communities
In 2019, Macleans magazine ranked Canada’s best communities, and perhaps not surprisingly for those of us who live here (or those who choose to holiday here), the three municipalities of the Saanich Peninsula rank in the top 50 of the 415 communities they compared. In fact, two of the three ranked in the top 30. The criteria they use is wealth and economy, affordability, demographics, taxes, commute, crime, weather, health, amenities and culture and community.
Denny Warner, Executive Director of the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
Their ranking found the “…best spots to live are communities with rural charm and access to urban jobs.” Many of the truly rural communities are struggling with a lack of job growth and access to health care and other amenities. While we definitely have issues around affordability and transportation, we are not prone to experience periods of volatility.
We are blessed to live in a region with an incredibly diversified economy. A small list of the thriving sectors includes agri-business, the marine industry, air transportation suppliers and support services for the airport, advanced manufacturing, a charming retail zone in Sidney, a plethora of service businesses, and the tourism power-house, Butchart Gardens, which attracts more than a million visitors a year to this area.
Two other critical areas that impact diversity in an economy are the level of education attained by the population (yes that’s high here too) and the level of affluence (also high). The more people are paid, the greater their demand for services.
Add to the above, the scenic beauty and it seems likely we will remain at the top of the list of best places to live for the foreseeable future. But we don’t toot our horn too loudly because we are modest Canadians who are somewhat averse to change.
Denny Warner is the Executive Director at the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
