Update: A City spokesman says the ranking looked only at cities with a population of more than 80,000. North Bay, with a population of 52,000 would not have been eligible.
(We all know what a great city this is to raise a family in.)
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Reader's Digest (yes, it's still around) recently ranked the top 42 Canadian cities to raise a family and of the three Northern Ontario cities on the list, Sudbury (not Greater Sudbury) came in at the bottom of the heap, but still among the top 42 cities in Canada.
The long-running magazine scored each city based on 11 categories: transit, median age, infant mortality rates, maternal/paternal leave, daycares, cost of food, mom groups, intimate partner violence, child and youth victims of crime, libraries and park spaces.
As data sources, Reader's Digest used Statistics Canada, the Childcare Resource and Research Unit, city workers, city websites, municipalities and MeetUp.com. All data dates from 2006 or later, save infant mortality rates for which a three-year average (2005-2007) was used.
Reader's Digest didn't provide a scoresheet, so, unfortunately, there's no context to the rankings.
Sudbury was ranked 33rd on the list, a full seven spots behind Thunder Bay. The only other Northern Ontario city on the list, Barrie (not technically North but northern-ish), was ranked 24th.
The No. 1 city on the list was Sherbrooke, Que., which boasts some of lowest crime rates against children and partners, and a high rate of access to mom groups and daycares, not to mention Quebec's 18-month maternity leave policy.
