Quality of life a key part of living in Montreal

Montreal continues to lag behind other large North American cities when it comes to economic vitality, according to a ranking produced by the Institut du Québec, but the city does have one card up its sleeve: its quality of life.

“In Montreal, you don’t necessarily have the salaries of Silicon Valley, around San Francisco, but you have a very good quality of life,” Jean-Guy Côté, the associate director of the institute, said in an interview.

“Studies are starting to show that the younger generations, people who have a lot of talent, aren’t only concerned about salary,” he said.

For three years, the research institute, a joint venture between the Conference Board of Canada and HEC Montréal, has compared Montreal with other North American cities. It looks at five categories: economic vitality, human capital, innovation, quality of life and attractiveness.

The ranking compares Montreal with Toronto, Vancouver, Boston, Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco, among others. It uses data from the most recent Canadian census, conducted in 2016.

La Presse Canadienne was able to consult the most recent report, released on Tuesday, in advance.

According to its conclusions, Montreal has several weaknesses when it comes to the economy, but it makes up for it when it comes to quality of life.

Montreal has affordable housing, the crime rate is low, and the public transit offering is diverse — all of which compare well with the 14 other large cities studied.

When it comes to the economy, Montreal continues to struggle to stand out. Even though 2016 and 2017 were very good years for Montreal, the city was ranked 14 out of 15 for economic activity in 2016.

In terms of economic growth, Montreal rose two spots between 2014 and 2016, but it remains in 13th place, tied with Philadelphia.

San Francisco was ranked first in both categories.

Montreal is in last place when it comes to the percentage of the population living below the poverty line. That percentage increased from 13.3 per cent to 18.9 per cent in 2016.