York best region in which to live in Canada, report shows

Yorkregion.com
May 8, 2015
By Lisa Queen

You are living in the best part of Canada, a new study indicates.

York Region scored better than any other place in the country in the report, which scored communities on a number of indicators such as unemployment, post-secondary completion, disability, obesity, poor mental health, high stress, food insecurity and social assistance rates.

York Region came out on top, while Nunavut is the most difficult place to live, according to the research from the Mowat Centre, an independent public policy think tank at the University of Toronto’s school of public policy and governance.

However, there are big gaps in available data from certain communities across Canada, researchers Mark Jarvis and Nevena Dragicevic warned.

They are calling for the government to reinstate the mandatory long-form census, which was replaced with a less extensive voluntary form in 2010.

The long-form provided a more comprehensive picture on which to base public policy, they said.

Participation has dropped from 93.5 per cent on the mandatory long-form to 68.6 per cent on the voluntary form.

Ironically, vulnerable communities, such as aboriginals and immigrants, who could be helped through a more comprehensive collection of information, are less likely to participate, Dragicevic said.

York’s median household income is $90,000, compared to $60,000 for Toronto, $64,000 for Ontario and $60,000 for Canada.

The region’s unemployment rate is 7.14 per cent, higher than Canada’s rate of 7 per cent, but lower than Toronto’s 8.86 per cent and Ontario’s 7.73.

When it comes to completing post-secondary education, 77.49 per cent of York residents have finished college or university, compared to 72.32 per cent of Toronto residents, 72.64 per cent of Ontario residents and 71.81 of Canadians.

In York, 1.73 per cent of residents report having a disability, lower than 3.15 per cent in Toronto, 3.35 in Ontario and 2.51 per cent in Canada.

Obesity rates are 13.82 per cent in York, 12.15 per cent in Toronto, 17.22 per cent in Ontario and 17.35 per cent in Canada.

In York, 4.65 per cent of residents report having poor mental health, compared to 6.78 per cent in Toronto, 6.19 in Ontario and 5.74 per cent in Canada.

High stress is a concern across the country, although 20.29 per cent of York residents say they suffer from high stress, while it’s 25.78 per cent in Toronto, 22.63 per cent in Ontario and 22.61 per cent in Canada.

Food insecurity is far less of a concern in York, where 3.77 per cent report it as a problem, while 9.48 per cent of Toronto residents face food insecurity, 7.66 per cent of Ontarians do and 7.76 per cent of Canadians do.

In York. 2.04 per cent of residents report being on social assistance, compared to 6.75 per in Toronto, 4.98 per cent in Ontario and 4.5 per cent in Canada.

The report showed communities around major cities, such as Toronto and Vancouver, outperformed other communities on the indicators, Jarvis said.

In addition to York being ranked first, Halton Region was second, Peel Region was 12th and Durham was 17th, he said.