Money Sense magazine has released their 2018 annual report on the best Canadian cities to live, and Estevan has placed high at number 93 in the country, third in Saskatchewan and fourth in the Prairies. Although this number is notably lower than last year’s placement at number 61, city officials are still quite happy with the placement, including Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig.
“We were absolutely happy with the placement Estevan received. I know there’s a lot of different conditions that go into the final summation, but we we’re happy to be placed so high. We weren’t sure exactly where we would be placed in the report but were absolutely pleased with the ratings,” said Ludwig.
Money Sense makes their decision for best cities based on several deciding factors, including wealth and economy, affordability, demographics, taxes, commute, crime, weather, health services, amenities, and culture and community.
Estevan was placed within the top 25 per cent of all cities when it comes to affordability, which may be directly related to lower housing prices that have come as a result of the downturn in the oil and gas industries.
Among the findings for Estevan, interesting figures included but were not limited to: An average household income of $128,889, an economic region unemployment rate of 5.5%, an annual property tax bill of $2,609, a crime severity index of 8,570 (out of 100,00) and a five year population change of 3.90%
“There are always areas we can improve and we will always continue to keep looking at those areas,” said Ludwig.
“We’re looking at economic opportunities for Estevan so that we can head any downturn off related to the closure of units four and five at the Boundary Dam Power Station. We’re always looking at different areas, different companies and different opportunities to bring to the city to help us improve.”
Estevan suffered from several low rankings that may have directly impacted the city’s overall placement in the report, including the city’s lack of doctors.
Money Sense’s statistics show only one doctors office listed currently for Estevan, with only 77 family doctors per 100,000 people. Although the number of doctors’ offices in the city is currently higher than listed, it is something that Mayor Ludwig said the city would continue to look at and find options for future improvement.
“Healthcare is something we are constantly working to continue making improvements on. We’re working on recruiting doctors and its very high on our agenda. The city is putting substantial money and time into the continued effort of recruiting new doctors,” said Ludwig.
According to Mayor Ludwig Estevan city officials are also hopeful that the current upswing in activity in the oil and gas sector will continue to have positive impacts in the Estevan area and will contribute in improving Estevan’s ranking in upcoming years.
Also noted was Estevan’s improved crime severity index rating, which was recently released. The Estevan Police Service have taken strides in recent years to improve the city’s crime severity index rating and has seen marked increases in the city’s ranking.
