UrbanWaterloo
01-02-2010, 12:09 PM
Just call us Happytown, Ontario
Region ranks #1 in the province, and #4 in Canada, for satisfaction
December 29, 2007
LUISA D'AMATO - RECORD STAFF - WATERLOO REGION
Do you catch yourself smiling for no reason?
Whistling while you work?
Skipping instead of walking?
Then you probably live here.
The people who live in the Kitchener Census Metropolitan Area -- which includes all 451,000 people in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, North Dumfries and Woolwich Township -- are actually the happiest people in Ontario, and the fourth-happiest in all of Canada.
That's according to University of British Columbia economics professor John Helliwell, who analyzed 100,000 responses to surveys taken by Statistics Canada in 2002 and 2003.
People were asked: "How satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?" and gave a response from zero (not satisfied at all) to 10 (ecstatic).
Responses from the Kitchener census area scored 8.2 out of 10, higher than the 7.8 score for Ottawa, Hamilton and Toronto.
Saint John, N.B., was highest with a score of 8.6, followed by Quebec City and then Charlottetown.
Helliwell said it's no coincidence that the happiest cities are also the medium-sized and smaller ones.
"In general, in Canada, the rural areas are happier than the urban areas," he said in an interview yesterday.
Big cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver may seem glamorous, but people living there are less likely to know and trust their neighbours -- and that has a big influence on their sense of well-being.
"The single biggest factor (into why people are happy) is the extent to which people think their neighbours can be trusted," said Helliwell.
By contrast, folks who live in the Kitchener census area are more likely to trust their neighbours than the average Canadian is, Helliwell said.
Residents of different cities were asked if they lost a wallet with valuables inside, and it was found by their neighbours, what were the chances of it being returned intact?
They were offered a scale of zero (no chance of return) to one (absolutely certain to be returned).
Waterloo Region residents gave a score of 0.75, higher than the Canadian national average of 0.65.
Across Canada, Montreal dwellers are least like to trust their neighbours, and people in Saint John, Charlottetown and Moncton are the most trusting.
There's also some truth to the old saying that money can't buy happiness.
Calgary, one of the richest places in Canada with an average household income of $85,000, is also one of the unhappiest cities. Charlottetown, Moncton, St John's and Halifax, all in the top 10 of happy locations, also all have household incomes of less than $50,000 a year. Waterloo Region's average household income is $68,000.
If your neighbours get richer, but you don't, you can actually become more unhappy, said Helliwell.
In the end, life satisfaction is about being connected to other people, he said.
Lots of local people could tell you that without doing a study.
Carl Norg, owner of Carl's Choice Meats in Brantford, is at the Cambridge Farmer's Market every Saturday, where his staff make a point of joking and chatting with more than 100 regular customers each week.
They don't just come to the market for meat, they come for a smile, to see other people they know, maybe stop for a coffee and a chat.
"It's an experience in their life that they need," Norg said.
HAPPY'S TOP TEN
1. Saint John, N.B
2. Quebec City, Que.
3. Charlottetown, P.E.I.
4. (tie)Kitchener; Moncton, N.B.
6. St. John's, N.L.
7. Saskatoon, SK
8. Regina, SK
9. Winnipeg, MB
10. Halifax N.S.
Source: University of British Columbia study
Happy to be here
December 29, 2007
THE RECORD
In the never-ending quest for that elusive holy grail called happiness, people have traversed heaving oceans, sweated in gold fields and scaled treacherous mountains to ask sages the meaning of life. Perhaps they should have come to Waterloo Region.
It turns out this is the happiest community in Ontario and the fourth happiest in Canada, according to a new University of British Columbia study. After sifting through the results of two recent national surveys, economics professor John Helliwell concluded that in the entire country, only the citizens of Saint John, N. B., Quebec City and Charlottetown, PEI, were more satisfied with life than the residents of this region -- and only by a bit.
Why we in this region are so overwhelmingly content tells us a lot, not only about this community, but about the meaning of happiness itself. Sure, there a far richer cities in Canada -- like Calgary. There are bigger, more cosmopolitan cities, like Toronto.
There are cities with more beautiful settings, like Vancouver, or milder climates, like Victoria. There are even more stylish, culturally vital cities, like Montreal. But none of those communities, overall, come close to being as happy as Waterloo Region.
To be sure, this region is very prosperous; it holds out great opportunity for those who aspire; it has great schools and is safe, with a crime rate that is low even by Canada's low standards. But happiness involves more than even these things rolled together.
It's not surprising that the happiest communities in Canada are small or mid-sized cities. Those places boast most of the job and educational amenities found in bigger urban centres; but they lack the stresses, inconveniences and annoyances that accompany living, working and getting around in the truly huge metropolises.
Beyond that, mid-sized urban areas have not grown so big that their citizens feel out of touch with or alienated from their neighbours and their community at large.
Prof. Helliwell's happiness study does more than just reflect well on Waterloo Region. It reminds us that, in our search for better lives, we should look beyond income levels, productivity, real estate values and the kind of car parked in the driveway.
We should look to the human connections that make us feel valued, watched over and even loved. We need money to put clothes on our backs and food on our tables. We need a healthy, working, livable community with lots of people we know to be truly happy.
The region's happiness rating is no surprise
January 02, 2008
Anbrin Naqvi
The fact that the Kitchener Census Metropolitan Area (basically Waterloo Region) has been classified as number one in terms of happiness comes as no surprise to me.
Being a new immigrant to the area, after arriving 14 months ago, and experiencing the general contentment of the people, my young son made the comment that this is living proof of Einstein's E=MC-squared theorem, meaning that there are "many contented" people living in Canada's Technology Triangle.
It would be unjust not to mention some of the local initiatives that have been contributing factors toward this end. One such event is the Festival of Neighbourhoods, which encourages people to leave their front porches and socialize, and also to get acquainted with their neighbours at the same time -- hence contributing to our general well-being.
When we first moved here, there were many who said that, "This is a very close-knit community" and therefore we were a little concerned on the issues around integration and being accepted. But the process has been fairly rapid, primarily due to the open-hearted attitude of the people. Everyone here loves to pitch in and help whenever needed. People here seem to be strong advocates for an "all-inclusive community."
As a child I was taught that, "no man is an island" and that, "man is gregarious specie." We should never stop building the human connections network.
Let's keep it up.
Anbrin Naqvi, Kitchener
Region ranks #1 in the province, and #4 in Canada, for satisfaction
December 29, 2007
LUISA D'AMATO - RECORD STAFF - WATERLOO REGION
Do you catch yourself smiling for no reason?
Whistling while you work?
Skipping instead of walking?
Then you probably live here.
The people who live in the Kitchener Census Metropolitan Area -- which includes all 451,000 people in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, North Dumfries and Woolwich Township -- are actually the happiest people in Ontario, and the fourth-happiest in all of Canada.
That's according to University of British Columbia economics professor John Helliwell, who analyzed 100,000 responses to surveys taken by Statistics Canada in 2002 and 2003.
People were asked: "How satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?" and gave a response from zero (not satisfied at all) to 10 (ecstatic).
Responses from the Kitchener census area scored 8.2 out of 10, higher than the 7.8 score for Ottawa, Hamilton and Toronto.
Saint John, N.B., was highest with a score of 8.6, followed by Quebec City and then Charlottetown.
Helliwell said it's no coincidence that the happiest cities are also the medium-sized and smaller ones.
"In general, in Canada, the rural areas are happier than the urban areas," he said in an interview yesterday.
Big cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver may seem glamorous, but people living there are less likely to know and trust their neighbours -- and that has a big influence on their sense of well-being.
"The single biggest factor (into why people are happy) is the extent to which people think their neighbours can be trusted," said Helliwell.
By contrast, folks who live in the Kitchener census area are more likely to trust their neighbours than the average Canadian is, Helliwell said.
Residents of different cities were asked if they lost a wallet with valuables inside, and it was found by their neighbours, what were the chances of it being returned intact?
They were offered a scale of zero (no chance of return) to one (absolutely certain to be returned).
Waterloo Region residents gave a score of 0.75, higher than the Canadian national average of 0.65.
Across Canada, Montreal dwellers are least like to trust their neighbours, and people in Saint John, Charlottetown and Moncton are the most trusting.
There's also some truth to the old saying that money can't buy happiness.
Calgary, one of the richest places in Canada with an average household income of $85,000, is also one of the unhappiest cities. Charlottetown, Moncton, St John's and Halifax, all in the top 10 of happy locations, also all have household incomes of less than $50,000 a year. Waterloo Region's average household income is $68,000.
If your neighbours get richer, but you don't, you can actually become more unhappy, said Helliwell.
In the end, life satisfaction is about being connected to other people, he said.
Lots of local people could tell you that without doing a study.
Carl Norg, owner of Carl's Choice Meats in Brantford, is at the Cambridge Farmer's Market every Saturday, where his staff make a point of joking and chatting with more than 100 regular customers each week.
They don't just come to the market for meat, they come for a smile, to see other people they know, maybe stop for a coffee and a chat.
"It's an experience in their life that they need," Norg said.
HAPPY'S TOP TEN
1. Saint John, N.B
2. Quebec City, Que.
3. Charlottetown, P.E.I.
4. (tie)Kitchener; Moncton, N.B.
6. St. John's, N.L.
7. Saskatoon, SK
8. Regina, SK
9. Winnipeg, MB
10. Halifax N.S.
Source: University of British Columbia study
Happy to be here
December 29, 2007
THE RECORD
In the never-ending quest for that elusive holy grail called happiness, people have traversed heaving oceans, sweated in gold fields and scaled treacherous mountains to ask sages the meaning of life. Perhaps they should have come to Waterloo Region.
It turns out this is the happiest community in Ontario and the fourth happiest in Canada, according to a new University of British Columbia study. After sifting through the results of two recent national surveys, economics professor John Helliwell concluded that in the entire country, only the citizens of Saint John, N. B., Quebec City and Charlottetown, PEI, were more satisfied with life than the residents of this region -- and only by a bit.
Why we in this region are so overwhelmingly content tells us a lot, not only about this community, but about the meaning of happiness itself. Sure, there a far richer cities in Canada -- like Calgary. There are bigger, more cosmopolitan cities, like Toronto.
There are cities with more beautiful settings, like Vancouver, or milder climates, like Victoria. There are even more stylish, culturally vital cities, like Montreal. But none of those communities, overall, come close to being as happy as Waterloo Region.
To be sure, this region is very prosperous; it holds out great opportunity for those who aspire; it has great schools and is safe, with a crime rate that is low even by Canada's low standards. But happiness involves more than even these things rolled together.
It's not surprising that the happiest communities in Canada are small or mid-sized cities. Those places boast most of the job and educational amenities found in bigger urban centres; but they lack the stresses, inconveniences and annoyances that accompany living, working and getting around in the truly huge metropolises.
Beyond that, mid-sized urban areas have not grown so big that their citizens feel out of touch with or alienated from their neighbours and their community at large.
Prof. Helliwell's happiness study does more than just reflect well on Waterloo Region. It reminds us that, in our search for better lives, we should look beyond income levels, productivity, real estate values and the kind of car parked in the driveway.
We should look to the human connections that make us feel valued, watched over and even loved. We need money to put clothes on our backs and food on our tables. We need a healthy, working, livable community with lots of people we know to be truly happy.
The region's happiness rating is no surprise
January 02, 2008
Anbrin Naqvi
The fact that the Kitchener Census Metropolitan Area (basically Waterloo Region) has been classified as number one in terms of happiness comes as no surprise to me.
Being a new immigrant to the area, after arriving 14 months ago, and experiencing the general contentment of the people, my young son made the comment that this is living proof of Einstein's E=MC-squared theorem, meaning that there are "many contented" people living in Canada's Technology Triangle.
It would be unjust not to mention some of the local initiatives that have been contributing factors toward this end. One such event is the Festival of Neighbourhoods, which encourages people to leave their front porches and socialize, and also to get acquainted with their neighbours at the same time -- hence contributing to our general well-being.
When we first moved here, there were many who said that, "This is a very close-knit community" and therefore we were a little concerned on the issues around integration and being accepted. But the process has been fairly rapid, primarily due to the open-hearted attitude of the people. Everyone here loves to pitch in and help whenever needed. People here seem to be strong advocates for an "all-inclusive community."
As a child I was taught that, "no man is an island" and that, "man is gregarious specie." We should never stop building the human connections network.
Let's keep it up.
Anbrin Naqvi, Kitchener