Okay, before you go thinking I'm being overly sensitive about the old home town, let me tell you this -- it's not my home town. I was born and raised in Toronto (#32 on the list), spent my misguided twenties in Ottawa (ranked a whooping #4), and did stints in Montreal (#169), Regina (#9) and Prince George (#148) before landing here. The methodology they use to decide their rankings is the real head shaker. Categories like the percentage of new cars and luxury cars, the percentage of people employed in arts and recreation, how many people walk/bike/take public transit to work. Sales tax. Like any community has control over that. They've got weather broken down into eight different categories. There's the usual crime rate stats and of course the all important income categories. Because it's all about money isn't it? Well, hey...the magazine is called MoneySense after all.But see here's where they're missing the point. And to be honest, they do admit that they can't measure things like "the nearness of families" or "the friendliness of neighbours" or "great sunsets" and that's exactly my point. They can't measure the things that, in the end, really matter the most. Which makes me call bullshit on their whole ranking thing.
'Cause let me tell you a few things about my little town. (Yeah, I know it's a city, but it has a small town feel to me.) Port Alberni has hosted the summer games, the winter games, the senior games, the Special Olympics and the World U17 Hockey Tournament. The WORLD, people. We've hosted the Tall Ships Festival. Every year we host the Salmon Festival because after all, we are Canada's Ultimate Fishing Town. We were in the top 10 the first year of Kraft Hockeyville. And we can do all these things because of the kind of people who live here.We are home to the Martin Mars water bombers, the WORLD's largest aerial firefighting flying boats. Della Falls, THE tallest water fall in Canada, is right here. We own our own BCHL team. This town of about 25,000 has produced NHL players, the first female prime minister (okay, maybe I shouldn't mention that), and Rick Hansen. That's right, the Man in Motion hails from Port Alberni.
As for the weather, on which we took a beating in the ratings...well, on the first day of spring I washed my car. There are hummingbirds at the feeder. Take that, # 4 and # 32. Does it rain here? Sure it does -- it's a rain forest...DUH!! Walkability? There are trails, trails and more trails. It's paradise for hikers and mountain bikers. Don't bike? Go windsurfing. Go kayaking. Watch out for whales.
Yeah, I could go on...and on...and on...but I think you get my point. There's more to life than how much money you make and what kind of car you drive. Or even how much it rains. It's all about the kind of stuff you can't measure. And if you can't measure it, don't pretend that your ranking system means a damn thing.
Take that MoneySense.
You should send this in to Moneysense.
ReplyDeleteThey get inundated with stuff by people disagreeing with their community's ranking. The people who create these lists don't come out from behind their computers and stat sheets to see what these places are really all about. It's all just numbers to them. Wrote it for my own self satisfaction and to get it out of my head!!
DeleteWith this horrible winter I was actually looking at property there as a potential retirement winter spot!
ReplyDeleteDon't let the ranking deter you...just be sure to pack an umbrella!
DeleteWell said. I was born and raised here, left for a stint in the military, and have now returned. I too have spent time in various cities around Canada, and maybe that is why we returned - friends, family and the unique lifestyle that is a hidden gem. But, if Moneysense is about the almighty buck, how about Angel Magnussen - $100K winner from Scotiabank as a National Game Changer; how about the Port Alberni Toy Run - how many hundreds of thousands has that contributed in toys and money. Then there is Thunder in the Valley, taking glider rides over the Beauforts, and so much more. I applaud your blog and hope that maybe somebody from Moneysense might actually venture from behind their desk and computer and actually see where the Alberni Valley is located on a map, and/or even visit.
ReplyDeleteGreat examples of the kind of things that make our Valley unique and special...and they're all about the people involved. We're lucky so many vibrant, energetic, community minded people call this home. Welcome home, Tony, and thank you for your service to our country.
DeleteImagine my surprise when a Facebook friend shared your link. You now have a new follower. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. I do have to say, even though I am living in Money Sense's #1 place to live, St. Albert, AB, I must agree with your sentiments on the immeasurable things that make ANY place a GREAT place to live. I grew up in small town Manitoba and LOVED being on the farm. Since joining the RCMP, I have lived in eight different places in three different provinces and there are some great memories from each and every place, not least of which was Port Alberni. We have very fond memories of our neighbours, friends and co-workers and were sad to leave. St. Albert has proven to be an amazing city as well with a lot to offer its citizens including the largest summer Farmers Market in Western Canada. I didn't need Money Sense magazine to tell me that, I just experience it all first hand.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how far things go when people start sharing on Facebook! So you went from "worst to first"!! People definitely get passionate when someone else disses their town, especially when the someone else has probably never set foot there. Hope all is well with you and the fam in #1!! And how come we're not FB friends??
DeleteThank you for your wonderful essay refuting Money Sense's bad ranking for PA. I've lived in Jasper, Kitchener, Toronto, Nanaimo, Vancouver and a logging camp. I love Port Alberni, with it's access to Barkely Sound and Sproat Lake, as well as Long Beach and the East Coast beaches of Vancouver Island. Shopping is a short, 1 hr scenic drive away, whether South to Nanaimo or North to Courtenay. Meanwhile, we have no rush hour, no traffic jams...........unless there is an accident on the highway. We need another highway! We also have hot summers and mild winters............love the weather! Don't really want too many more people to discover us.............so keep on dissing us, national magazines! We love it here.
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