Best Canadian cities rankings leave out the part where nothing actually makes sense. You’re weighing a move to Calgary. Someone mentions it has 330 days of sunshine and roads that rank internationally for traffic flow. Great. Then you ask about downtown nightlife. Three streets. That’s it. The rest? Office towers and dead space. You ask about getting around without a car. Transit is decades behind where it should be for a city that size. Still want those mountain views?

Why does Calgary feel like a small town when you talk to people? You strike up a conversation with a complete stranger, and boom, you’re friends. That doesn’t happen in Vancouver or Toronto to the same degree. But here’s the infrastructure question nobody can answer: if Ottawa’s bus lanes are meant to reduce emissions, why do they sit empty while trapping more cars idling in traffic? The buses aren’t using them. The congestion got worse. Someone approved this design claiming it would help the environment. The math doesn’t work. Meanwhile, Ottawa’s fall colors redefine autumn and the potholes will flatten your tires within a month. Pick one.

The thing you love most about your city is probably connected to the thing driving you insane about it. You just haven’t noticed the pattern yet because you’re too busy defending your choice to stay.

Topics: best Canadian cities, urban infrastructure, city comparison, Calgary transit, Ottawa roads

Originally aired on2026-02-02