Ottawa tops livability list for second year in a row

[ahlam1399]

http://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BBDLWuJ.img?h=100&w=100&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=fFor the second year in a row, Ottawa has been named the best Canadian city to live in by MoneySense magazine. The rankingâ??s methodology includes factors such as income, unemployment and taxes. Ottawa, which scored highly in transit, housing prices and income, beat out 416 other Canadian cities to top the list. Housing affordability was one factor that set Ottawa apart. Ottawaâ??s real estate market experienced the precipitous price inflation seen in other major Canadian cities, such as Vancouver and Toronto. And the local real estate industry is just fine with that. â??Thereâ??s so many things that Iâ??m sure went into that ranking that attract people to this area,â?* said Kevin Grimes, a broker at Remax. â??House prices are one of them, so weâ??re **t interested in seeing any sort of a spike.â?* The ranking bodes well for Ottawaâ??s long-term growth prospects, Grimes said, but donâ??t expect any immediate impact on the housing market. â??It doesnâ??t necessarily move the needle today just because that ranking came out, but a ranking like that is a positive for Ottawa,â?* he said. â??Itâ??s one more thing for us to brag about, and over time those sorts of things add up.â?* Meanwhile, for poverty advocates, the MoneySense ranking obscures the challenges facing Ottawaâ??s low-income residents. â??I heard about it in passing, and just kind of smiled a bit,â?* said Mavis Finnamore, a member of ACORNâ??s Ottawa chapter. â??If you're looking at the top end, and the LRT, and all the new housing developments going upâ?? that looks very impressive, that looks like a very healthy city,â?* she said. â??But we also k**w, at our level, that there are items like the affordability of housing that are bubbling away at the bottom.â?* Mayor Jim Watson, perhaps predictably, was proud of the distinction. â??I think itâ??s a**ther feather in our cap,â?* he said at city hall on Tuesday. â??We actually have a pretty good city here and people are optimistic about its future.â?*

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