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the richmond
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REVIEW RICHMONDREVIEW.COM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014
Richmond has ‘room for improvement’ High foreignborn population a draw for newcomers, but income inequality a drawback by Matthew Hoekstra Staff Reporter Richmond earned a “C” grade in a new study assessing the city’s appeal to migrants, scoring it poorly for health care and housing affordability, but giving high marks for weather and a low crime rate. The Conference Board of Canada study, City Magnets III: Benchmarking the Attractiveness of 50 Canadian Cities, analyzes the features that make cities attractive to newcomers. Richmond was one of 17 cities to receive the C grade—”room for improvement”—including Surrey and Kelowna. Vancouver, meanwhile, earned an “A” grade for its overall high quality of life, despite also earning low marks for housing affordability. The think-tank’s study argues cities with C rankings need to do more to boost their appeal to newcomers. “Cities without the ability to act as magnets and attract newcomers will struggle to stay prosperous,” said the board’s Alan Arcand. Richmond received a D in all health categories—including hospital bed availability and
access to family doctors— and was the only city outside Ontario to receive the low grade. The study ranked Richmond nearly at the bottom in the housing category. Only Victoria scored worse. Poor indicators included income spent on mortgage and rent, meaning the total household income spent on housing in the 2011 census year was among the worst in Canada. Income inequality also earned Richmond a D grade. The city ranked 48th in one poverty indicator that signals a high percentage of the population is classified as low-income. Richmond also ranked near the bottom in the study’s measure of success of foreign-born residents, comparing the average income of university-educated immigrants to that of Canadianborn residents. “A city with less disparity between immigrant and Canadian-born earners will have great advantages in attracting newcomers,” the study noted. Bright spots for Richmond came in the environment and society categories. The study handed Richmond an A for mild temperatures, clean air, a low incidence of violent crime and access to libraries. It also scored high for diversity. Richmond was ranked at the top for having the highest proportion of foreign-born residents—59.3 per cent in 2011. The prevalence of multilingualism also earned Richmond a top mark.
aaronmunro@sutton.com
Seafair Realty
Indoor market starts Sunday in Steveston
Culture Days celebrate Richmond’s arts
Katie Lawrence photo Suzanne Basentt of the Richmond Potters Club demonstrated on the pottery wheel during Culture Days last weekend at Richmond Cultural Centre. See story, p. 19.
Sunday marks the first indoor farmers market of the season at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. Open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Cannery Farmers’ Market is held in place of the popular outdoor Steveston Farmers and Artisans Market, which stays off the streets in the fall and winter. Organized by the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society, the indoor market will be open Oct. 5 and every other Sunday after that, until the end of April 2015. “We are committed to working with the Steveston community to offer events that appeal to locals and to help keep the village lively through the winter months,” said society chair Dave Semple in a news release. “We are looking forward to creating a place where neighbours can come together to get to know each other better and do a little shopping at the same time.” Admission to the market is free. For more information, see canneryfarmers market.org.
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Rarely available! Freehold 3 bedroom townhome at “The Galleria” on UBC campus. Fantastic location close to shopping, recreation and excellent schools. Functional floor plan with living on main and 3 bedrooms up. Features 3 baths, 2 parking and a quiet, private south facing patio. Great location to live or invest with rental revenue of $2,400 per month. Call for your private showing today!
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