St. Albert ranked last on list of 100 best cities for renters: Report
On a list of the 100 best Canadian cities for renters, St. Albert comes in dead last.
The report from online real estate marketplace company Point2 used data from Statistics Canada and other sources to compare the country’s largest cities on 24 different metrics in three categories: economy and housing, quality of life, and community. The metrics were weighted to determine the final score.
St. John’s, NL tops the list, owing to its strong economy, housing affordability, vibrant arts and culture scene, and a shared sense of community among residents.
Two other east coast cities — Saint John, NB and Fredericton, NB — ranked in the top 10, alongside St. John’s and seven cities in Québec.
"St. Albert ranked lower on the list mainly due to its lower rentership rate and limited rental options compared to other cities. Although it scores well in life satisfaction, it ranked lower in areas like average greenness and walkability, which impacted its overall ranking," Sabina Marincean from Point2 said.
For renters in St. Albert, housing is both expensive and hard to find. The average cost of rent is $1,450, and the rental availability rate per 10,000 people sits at zero, according to the report.
The number of rental units in St. Albert has nearly tripled in the last decade, but rentership is still low compared to the rest of the province, said Lory Scott, affordable housing liaison with the city.
"Historically, St. Albert has been a community where home ownership has been the preferred housing type, particularly for single-family dwellings," Scott said.
"But in 2021, the Canada census showed that the home ownership rate declined, and now 17.1 per cent of our households are renters, but you can compare that to Alberta, where 28 per cent of households are renters," Scott said.
Scott also noted there is a very low overall vacancy rate of 0.9 per cent in St. Albert, compared to 2.6 per cent in neighbouring Edmonton.
Though the city now has 2,087 purpose-built rental units, up from just 754 in 2012, they have filled up as quickly as they’ve come on to the market.
"With the vacancy rate difference from Edmonton to St Albert, it illustrates that there's a high demand in St. Albert for rental units, and people want to live in St. Albert, if you’re a renter or an owner," Scott said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW With the U.S. election approaching, could American voters in Canada make a difference?
With the U.S. election widely predicted to be a close race, some believe American voters in Canada and overseas will be crucial in helping elect the new president about a month from now.
W5 Investigates What it's like to interview a narco
Drug smuggling is the main industry for Mexican cartels, but migrant smuggling is turning into a financial windfall. In this fourth installment of CTV W5's 'Narco Jungle: The Death Train,' Avery Haines is in Juarez where she speaks with one of the human smugglers known as 'coyotes.'
DEVELOPING Rare Israeli strike in central Beirut kills 7 as troops battle Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
An Israeli airstrike on an apartment in central Beirut killed seven Hezbollah-affiliated civilian first responders. Israel has been pounding areas of the country where the militant group has a strong presence since late September, but has rarely struck in the heart of the capital.
B.C. man ordered to pay damages for defamatory Google review
A B.C. man has been ordered to pay a total of $4,000 to a Coquitlam company and its two owners because of a negative review he posted on Google.
For Canadians seeking a non-mRNA COVID vaccine, lack of Novavax shot is 'unfair,' advocates say
The federal government's decision to not provide Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine this respiratory virus season raises health equity concerns, experts and advocates say, as some Canadians look to the U.S. to get the shot.
Canadian figure skater suspended at least 6 years for 'sexual maltreatment'
Canadian figure skater Nikolaj Sorensen has been suspended for at least six years for 'sexual maltreatment,' the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner announced Wednesday.
Ontario family devastated after losing thousands to online flight ticket scam
An Ontario family was planning a religious trip to Saudi Arabia that included 10 people, but when they were checking-in for their flights, the family discovered some of their tickets were fake.
Albertan first Canadian veteran to compete in Mrs. Universe pageant
In less than a year, an Alberta woman has gone from gracing the stage at her first pageant to competing at the Mrs. Universe pageant in South Korea. She's making history by becoming the first Canadian veteran to compete internationally.
A TV celebrity's 15-year-old son went travelling in Europe without an adult. Cue the outrage
In late August, U.K. television personality Kirstie Allsopp found herself in an unexpected media storm after a series of her social media posts describing her 15-year-old son's trip through Europe without adult supervision went viral.