Santa’s list has company
What does it tell Edmontonians that in two new quality-of-life lists, our city ranks third worldwide in one and isn’t even mentioned in the other? Probably, the biggest take-away is that our quality of life would be even greater if we remembered the only genuinely expert opinion on this most arbitrary and subjective of topics is our own.
The index on which Edmonton ranks third was released Monday by the U.S. website Numbeo.com. It factors in average purchasing power, house prices, health, safety, the consumer price index and pollution. Based on these factors, we come behind only Berlin and Zurich — and might have done better if our safety index hadn’t been skewed lower, presumably by last year’s homicide rate.
Coming third is certainly congenial, but to see that New York came only 19th, and that 38th-place London was actually bested by Bangalore, India (27th) and Johannesburg (32nd) somewhat takes the edge off. Hands up all those who would rather move their families to crime-ridden South Africa than within hailing distance of Piccadilly Circus?
Then, there is the ranking from Mercer, a global human resources firm, which doesn’t include Edmonton at all, but places Vancouver fifth, apparently in part because of that city’s climate.
The Mercer report is focused on the quality of life an expat might enjoy if he or she relocated there — which is obviously a very different thing to measure than the experience of longstanding residents. It’s not clear Edmonton was even considered, a possibility that is certainly not going to improve this week’s quality of life for Mayor Stephen Mandel.
Presumably, expats would mark a town like Edmonton down on the weather front, especially if Mercer’s sample had been contacted this past week. Mercer’s people clearly didn’t even consider intangibles such as: The enjoyment locals get complaining about the weather. The joys of driving on safe wide streets that don’t twist, turn and change names every 100 metres. The inestimable value of a recession-resistant economy. The nirvana of daily commutes that don’t seem as long as an NHL lockout.
Yes, there are things that could improve our quality of life. Jasper could be closer. Debate about the downtown arena could end. A good Montreal-style bagel could be easier to find. Magpies could be a bit tidier on garbage days. But these are small things in the greater scheme (well, other than the bagels.) Maybe the authors of quality-of-life surveys should include in their calculations how rarely most of us ever consider leaving.