MONTREAL ― A new study that attempts to uncover how widely cities spread their wealth has ranked Ottawa among the best in the world, but other Canadian cities don’t fare quite as well.
Canada’s capital city took eighth place in a ranking of 113 cities around the world for “inclusive prosperity” ― a new measure that acts as a sort of shorthand for understanding economic and social inequality.
It’s the highest ranking of any North American city.
The Prosperity and Inclusion Index, funded by institutions and local governments in Spain’s Basque Country, ranks cities on a number of criteria beyond the size of the economy, including housing affordability; access to education and the internet; personal safety; environmental quality; and “density of physicians,” as a proxy for access to health care.
“Economic and social inclusion have never been under such intense scrutiny and the rankings show that Ottawa is characterised by a clean environment and overall quality of life,” said Bruno Lanvin, founder of business advisory D&L Partners, which compiled the data for the report.
These elements “are key to ensuring a city’s population can all share in the benefits of a truly equitable society,” he added.