It's a slow, steady rise to the top, but Courtenay is more than halfway there.In MoneySense Magazine's annual Best Places to Live 2012 list, Courtenay rose 20 places from its position in 2011, to 73."We're one of the fastest-growing cities per capita," responded Mayor Larry Jangula. "We have a stable population base, people still want to come here, and the other thing that makes us so lucky is all of the different volunteers who contribute to the community."Jangula added the the volunteer fire department, auxiliary members of the Comox Valley RCMP and Citizens on Patrol not only save the City money, but add to the large volunteer community.The list's top-rated city was Ottawa, followed by Burlington and Kingston in Ontario. The highest-ranked B.C. city was Saanich in 15th place. Victoria, which was ranked second last year, dropped to 35th spot. In the Best Places to Retire list, also released in conjunction with the Best Places list, Courtenay was listed as the sixth best out of 190 cities. The only other B.C. cities rated higher were Saanich and Victoria. Factors such as crime, housing and weather are included in the MoneySense formula used to create its list. A total of 105 points was up for grabs, and each category was allotted a number of points depending on the importance of the category. For example, employment statistics are worth 10 points, while sales taxes are worth one point. Compared to the 2011 list, Courtenay improved significantly in the weather category, crime rate and the amount of new cars on the road (a sign of economic growth). Jangula said despite the move up the list, the city still struggles to create good-paying jobs."It's one of our big issues," he noted, and added the other factor that he is concerned with is affordable housing. "That's no surprise 鈥� it's a complicated issue. People want to know who is really responsible for it. Is it a federal, provincial or city issue, or all of the above? There isn't a simple answer," he said. Port Alberni ranked at 186, Campbell River at 184 and Parksville at 148.For more information and complete breakdown of the cities on the list, visit www.moneysense.ca.photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com
