Kelowna ranks near bottom of report ranking the happiest cities in Canada

Photo: Knox Mountain webcam

A new report on the happiest cities in Canada posts Kelowna near the bottom of the list.

Kelowna is not a very happy place, at least according to a report by Point2, an online real estate listings service.

The report by Point2 ranks the happiest cities in Canada, and Kelowna comes in 81st out of 100. In fact, it’s the lowest ranking community of all those looked at in BC.

The company analyzed 30 happiness-related metrics to come up with its happiness index. Those metrics include median after-tax income, poverty rate, perceived health, commute time, air quality, rainfall and a sense of belonging. The results were plotted based on four happiness-relevant dimensions: economy and real estate; location and demographics; health and wellbeing; and community and environment.

The top five cities are all in Ontario, with Caledon, north of Toronto, coming out on top. North Vancouver was the highest rated BC community, coming in eighth. It was followed by Port Coquitlam at 18th and Langley at 21st. The highest ranking Interior city was Prince George.

Kelowna also finished below Kamloops, which was 60th on the list.

According to Point2, Quebec was tops for health and wellbeing, The Prairies and Atlantic Canada got high marks for community and environment, Alberta earned points for economy and real estate, while B.C. and Ontario were the happiest in terms of location and demographics.

A 2022 survey of residents for the City of Kelowna, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, found 55 per cent of respondents believe their quality of life has worsened over the past three years. According to the survey, cost of living (21%), safety concerns (14%), housing affordability (11%) and overcrowding (10%) were given as the reasons for a drop in perceived quality of life.