– Hat ranked 21st by Maclean’s
The Hat sits on the top shelf when it comes to a growing discussion of best communities to live and work remotely.
Medicine Hat sits at No. 21 on the list compiled by Maclean’s Magazine of communities nationwide, based on criteria including crime severity, cost of living and access to health care and amenities.
Medicine Hat’s main selling features were internet speeds, low property taxes and amenities, in that order, and that puts the city in the top five per cent of communities across Canada.
Jace Anderson heads up tourism services for the City of Medicine Hat.
“I was pleased to see that amenities was a differentiator,” said Anderson. “That’s something we see living here and Hatters who have moved from elsewhere certainly understand we have great access to those things.”
Examples, he said, were obvious things like trials, outdoor spaces, recreation facilities, but also school programming, clubs and activities and performance spaces.
“If you can get inexpensive swimming lessons for your kids and the times you want, that makes life easier,” he said.
Halifax sits at No. 1 in the exercise that attempts to further a conversation about a potential workforce shift to home offices, performing more duties virtually and potentially from other cities or outlaying communities from head office.
The rankings state Medicine Hat’s average property tax bill amounts to 1.8 per cent of the average salary. Its crime severity is 89, compared to the national average of 73 on the scale where lower is better.
Weatherwise, there are 120 days with temperatures above 20C. The Gas City has 133 doctors offices per 100,000 residents and can get as many as 13 devices on home internet hookup while maintaining fast download speeds.
“There’s no question in my mind that we’ll see people move from urban areas, choosing quality of life and lifestyle more than maybe their parents’ generation did,” said Anderson. “We can compete in that space.”
The same list puts Brooks at No. 9, while Edmonton topped Alberta cities at No. 5, with several of its metro communities in the top-100 as well.
They were Stony Plain (61), Fort Saskatchewan (68), St. Albert (75) and Leduc (94).
Calgary sat at No. 31, with neighbouring communities High River (47), Strathmore (51), and Cochrane (85) also finishing in the top one-quarter of communities. Airdrie, which leads the entire country in population growth, was No. 116 overall.
On the tax front, Canmore was tops in rates compared to earnings, a list where Medicine Hat was No. 43.
Lethbridge was No. 133, and Red Deer No. 241.
Among few Saskatchewan entries were Saskatoon (No. 14), Regina (No. 17) and Swift Current (No. 102).