Toronto named one of Canada's best cities for youth to work: RBC study

May 12 2021, 6:37 pm

Out of 27 Canadian urban areas evaluated for their ecosystem for youth work, Toronto came in eighth in the country for allowing young people to fulfill their professional and personal ambitions.

While Toronto ranked almost dead last for cost of living (26th), it performed positively in several indicators considered for what makes an ideal city for young people to thrive, offsetting aspects driven by poor housing affordability.

According to the 2021 Urban Work Index, a partnership between Youthful Cities and RBC Future Launch, Toronto came out at the top for digital access and took second place behind Vancouver for equity and inclusion. The city also ranked fourth for public transportation.

“Cities with workplace and social efforts to ensure inclusivity are appealing and foster a more diverse population. This means that they offer a welcoming and safe environment that is representative of the diversity of cultures of those who live there and provide public services to meet the needs of different people,” reads the study.

Toronto also ranked in the top 10 in entrepreneurial spirit (7th) and climate change (4th) but it was weaker in income generation (23rd), education and training (19th), and city economy (21st).

Nearby GTA cities Hamilton and Mississauga ranked second and 10th, respectively, while Calgary came in at sixth — just behind Montreal in fifth place.

The study, launched in March 2020, hired 1,200 young people in the analyzed Canadian cities as urban researchers to collect public data, and perform surveys and interviews with over 3,000 youth between the ages of 15 and 29. In total, there were nearly 16,000 total points of data contributing to the 2021 rankings.

Canada’s best urban areas for youth in 2021 (total score)

  1. Vancouver (623.66)
  2. Hamilton (541.23)
  3. Edmonton (538.96)
  4. Victoria (538.38)
  5. Montreal (532.22)
  6. Calgary (530.47)
  7. Ottawa/Gatineau (530.40)
  8. Toronto (525.91)
  9. Quebec City (503.92)
  10. Mississauga (501.05)
  11. Halifax (496.42)
  12. Kelowna (494.48)
  13. Winnipeg (486.21)
  14. Kitchener-Waterloo (485.481)
  15. Sudbury (481.03)
  16. Saskatoon (479.36)
  17. Lethbridge (474.13)
  18. Brampton (468.84)
  19. Laval (466.55)
  20. Yellowknife (461.87)
  21. Oshawa (460.16)
  22. Regina (458.57)
  23. Charlottetown (446.22)
  24. St. John’s (434.91)
  25. London (434.16)
  26. Moncton (411.74)
  27. Fredericton (395.27)
2021 urban work index youthful cities rbc

Indicator rankings of Canadian urban areas in the 2021 Urban Work Index. Click on the image for an enlarged version. (Youthful Cities/RBC)

2021 urban work index youthful cities rbc

Indicator rankings of Canadian urban areas in the 2021 Urban Work Index. Click on the image for an enlarged version. (Youthful Cities/RBC)

Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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