The city of Richmond is not an attractive place for skilled workers and mobile populations, according to the Conference Board of Canada.
The independent, non-government organization, which researches social and economic trends, gave the city a “C” ranking based on seven main categories: society, health, economy, environment, education, innovation and housing.
The study, released this week, looked at Canada’s 50 biggest cities, with Richmond ranking 23rd overall.
The Board’s City Magnets report states that cities failing to attract new people will struggle to stay prosperous and vibrant.
The city failed miserably in the housing and health categories, but fared well in the environment category and certain aspects of the society category.
The city received D’s for access to hospital beds, general practitioners, specialist physicians and the number of residents employed in health care services.
In terms of housing, the city also received D’s on income spent on a mortgage or rent and homes in need of major repair.
The environment — temperature, air quality, domestic water use and driving distance to work — scored an overall B grade. Societal measures were mixed, the study found.
The city received a D for the success of its foreign-born population (the study compared the average income of university-educated immigrants to that of Canadian-born residents).
What did make Richmond “attractive” to newcomers was its diversity and evidence of multilingualism. Also, its low violent crime rate and access to libraries was a notch on the city’s belt.
Education in the city received a below average C grade as it lacked the optimal amount of elementary and high school teachers. It does have lots of residents with university degrees, however.
Another cause for concern is Richmond’s low number of 25-35 year olds, as this contributes to the vibrancy of a city and thus makes it more attractive to newcomers.
It’s economy was rated a C overall, with GDP per capita and GDP growth receiving B’s and disposable income and full-time employment receiving D’s (although its overall unemployment rate was graded a B).
The report states “cities that earn a C grade would strive to do better in order to boost their appeal to newcomers.”
The data was accrued from the 2011 Census and National Household Survey as well as municipal data.
