It is mean-spirited of MoneySense magazine to rank Port Alberni as the worst city in sa国际传媒 to live in. The magazine鈥檚 name alone is a strong indication that such factors as beautiful natural surroundings, friendly neighbours, community spirit and the absence of traffic problems were not factors involved in the calculations.
MoneySense writer Mark Brown freely admits that in his article about the city rankings.
鈥淐ritics of our best-places ranking routinely point out that we don鈥檛 incorporate intangible considerations 鈥� like the best scenery or hottest attractions 鈥� into our methodology,鈥� he writes. 鈥淚t鈥檚 true, we don鈥檛 take any of these things into account.鈥�
He says factors considered in the rankings include access to medical care, crime rates, public transportation and weather, but top of the list is affordability, so the greatest weight is given to housing prices, employment and wealth.
Most Port Albernians probably won鈥檛 deny their town has its share of challenges, but we wonder how many would be willing to trade the beautiful Alberni Inlet, Stamp River and Sproat Lake for the long winters, big-box stores, tiring commutes and summer mosquito hordes of first-ranked St. Albert, Alta.
There鈥檚 no objective way to measure the true worth of a place 鈥� that鈥檚 a subjective evaluation based on personal preferences and experiences. While jobs and the economy are important, they aren鈥檛 everything.
Happiness lies not in asking if your community is a good place, but in appreciating what is good about it, for every place has its worthwhile attributes, just as every place has its problems.
If you think yours is the best city in sa国际传媒, even if it isn鈥檛 high on MoneySense鈥檚 list, you are probably right.
