What are Canada’s Greenest Cities and Where Does Toronto Rank – see here!
Cities like Toronto enjoy thinking of themselves as eco-friendly and environmentally advanced in comparison with other regions in Canada. But, where does Toronto actually rank in relation to similar metropolitan areas such as Calgary, Vancouver, and other Canadian strongholds? Surprisingly, Toronto may not be the greenest city Canada has.
Montreal, QC
Toronto’s sports team rival Montreal, Quebec is one of Canada’s greenest cities. Montreal became one of the first to prioritize environmental sustainability in the 1990s, has a developed transportation and cycling system, and has numerous green spaces throughout its region.
Vancouver, BC
Vancouver has a strong reputation for being environmentally-friendly. Many would agree, Vancouver is sufficiently ahead of Toronto in terms of eco-sustainability. Despite being Canada’s densest city, the city generates more than 93 percent of its electricity via sustainable resources such as hydroelectric. Vancouver is committed to building a zero waste city by 2040 and achieving 100 percent renewable energy consumption by 2050. Unlike other cities who’ve proclaimed similar things, Vancouver’s the closest to achieving it.
Quebec City, QC
Quebec City has over a hundred parks and gardens to its name, an established public transportation system, and much opportunity to ride bicycles or enjoy walks. Quebec City’s greenest accomplishment is it ranks #1 in Canada with relation to eco-friendliness of home heating systems, with more than 90 percent of properties being equipped with electric power which are believed to be more environmentally sustainable than fuel-based heating services.
Victoria, BC
Victoria is regularly rated as among the top cities in the world for quality of life. The city has hundreds of kilometres of bike paths and is well known for being the bicycle capital of Canada. Victoria has the most commuters biking to work than any other city in Canada, in addition to the 10 percent who walk to work every day which is also more than any other Canadian city. Unlike Toronto, approximately 97 percent of Victoria residents have green space within walking distance.
Calgary, AB
Calgary and Alberta in general are very big on oil and fossil fuels. That aside, we can’t ignore Calgary’s a very green city. It’s consistently ranked one of the cleanest cities in the world, with a highly effective water waste management system, a strong and well-developed public transportation system, and an impressive network of parks and green spaces. In many ways, Calgary’s comparable to Toronto on these points.
Toronto, ON
Considering these cities, Toronto is not far behind but in many ways, it is very much behind. The GTA was first formed in 1998 and since then has implemented numerous waste management sustainability and recycling policies. Commercial roofs built post-2009 in Toronto are required to have green roofs, there are plenty of existing green spaces within city limits, and our public transportation system is the most used in Canada. In fact, more than 30 percent of people in Toronto don’t drive to work – they take transit.
There’s still a lot for Toronto to do in order to achieve its full potential in sustainability and eco-friendliness. Thankfully, the opportunity hasn’t been lost – not yet. To be Canada’s most environmentally friendly city, investments in waste management, recycling, eco-friendly construction, public transportation, and sustainable infrastructure is required. Toronto has Canada’s brightest minds, arguably. Let’s make our city just as bright. Let’s be bold and achieve!
