Canadians love their neighbourhoods, according to RE/MAX’s 2024 Liveability Report, with the majority (86 per cent) saying they like the quality of life and liveability they offer, and 50 per cent liking it a lot. Cities in Prairie provinces, such as Alberta and Manitoba, overwhelmingly top the list, with some of the most liveable neighbourhoods in Canada. Not surprisingly, the relative affordability of these regions is boosting their liveability ranking, combined with access to amenities such as green spaces, restaurants, coffee shops, schools, health services, and cultural and art spaces.
According to a Leger survey commissioned by RE/MAX Canada as part of the report, in the next three to five years, 24 per cent of respondents believe the liveability level of their neighbourhood will improve, 55 per cent believe it will hold steady and 15 per cent believe it will decline.
The Liveability Report explores the neighbourhood qualities that resonate most with Canadians and determines the best neighbourhoods according to those criteria, nationally. RE/MAX partnered with Montreal-based data analytics company Local Logic to compile the lists of neighbourhoods within some of Canada’s biggest and growing real estate markets, based on liveability factors that Canadians said were most important to them in the Leger survey: affordability, proximity to work, easily walkable, access to green spaces and parks, proximity to health or medical services, low-density neighbourhoods, proximity to public transit, easily driveable, proximity to preferred childcare/schools, access to bike lanes/walking paths, a neighbourhood with diverse cultures and ethnicities, and high-density neighbourhoods.
In comparing the 2024 Liveability Report findings to the previously published 2020 Liveability Report, significant social, political and cultural changes have influenced and altered Canadians’ criteria for liveability since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2024, the #1 most-important liveability factors named by Canadians include affordability (44 per cent), neighbourhood safety (10 per cent), walkability and age of home (each six per cent).
Among Canadians, important liveability factors include neighbourhood safety (34 per cent), a new addition to the 2024 list, which took the second spot from easily walkable, which was a high-priority before the pandemic (37 per cent, 2020 survey). Similarly, age of home, another new criterion added to the 2024 survey (23 per cent, 2024 survey), overtook fourth place from low-density neighbourhoods (30 per cent, 2020 survey). Affordability continues to be a major consideration for Canadians when choosing a neighbourhood to live in, but major changes in 2024 liveability include the decline in the importance of proximity to work (25 per cent in 2024, down from 34 per cent in 2020) and walkability (20 per cent in 2024, down from 37 per cent in 2020).
“Quality of life continues to be an important consideration for Canadians when choosing a place to live. Our survey shows that many have found a place they love, but we also know that ongoing affordability crises and housing shortages are severely impacting many Canadians and have become a barrier to home ownership in regions across the country,” says Christopher Alexander, President of RE/MAX Canada. “By rethinking design, relevant government policies and zoning bylaws as applicable in existing and new neighbourhoods, we can achieve a more effective and comprehensive national housing strategy, that supports long-term liveability and greater affordability for Canadians.”
