Nearly 40,000 Canadians took a survey. Here's where the happiest people live
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These results come from a recently released Leger poll, the 2025 edition of Happy Cities. It was based on data from 39,841 Canadian adults, 18 and over, who took an online survey between March 31 and April 13.
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The City of Mississauga ranked highest out of Canada's 10 largest cities, with a happiness index of 70.3 out of 100.
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'This reflects the quality of life our residents enjoy — from green spaces and strong public services to a resilient economy and inclusive community programs,' she said, in a news release on Tuesday. 'While these survey results are encouraging, we remain committed to listening to our residents.'
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Following Mississauga and Montreal in terms of happiness in Canada's 10 largest cities are Hamilton, Ontario (67.5), Calgary, Alberta (67.4), Brampton, Ontario (66.7), Ottawa, Ontario (66.4), Edmonton, Alberta (66.3), Vancouver, B.C. (66.3), Winnipeg, Manitoba (65.9) and, coming in last, Toronto, Ontario (65.8).
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Coming in first was Quebec, followed by New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Those three provinces were above average for happiness.
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Stratford sets the stage for what other cities should be doing
Buying in to buying local. Not long after I purchased strawberries from this Stratford farm, chef Ryan O'Donnell came along to do the same. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. A strong connection between the city's local farms and restaurants is creating a positive ripple effect, and the country benefits too This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account It's a proud-to-be-Canadian show that has been around for decades in Stratford. But you won't find it on any of their theatre stages. In fact, you may not even be aware the show exists. Yet it's tied to an experience with multiple benefits, helping to make this country stronger and more resilient at the local level. The show I'm referring to encompasses initiatives ranging from Stratford's farm-to-table experiences and two weekend farmers' markets to its annual Sip and Savour program. Through such efforts, Stratford shows us not only how we could, but should, be supporting our farms — a mindset particularly relevant against the backdrop of the current trade war. I recently wrote about how one way to support the Canadian economy is by joining a farm co-op or frequenting one of the numerous farmers' markets across the country. But as Stratford demonstrates, that's just the start of what can be done to enliven our food experience. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Arguably, the foundation for the city's thriving food experience is its two markets. The one on Saturday at the Stratford Agriplex (home also to the fall fair) is one of the oldest year-round markets in Ontario, featuring around 40 full- and part-time vendors of fresh meats, cheese, eggs, fruits, vegetables, baked goods, canned goods, and artisan crafts. 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Ottawa stalls while cruise ships dump toxic wastewater along West Coast
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While the cruise sector on Canada's west coast continues to swell, federal delays on scrubber regulations are putting endangered orcas — as well as ocean and human health — at risk. 'Our food sources are more important than fuel cost savings' All vessels using scrubbers, including container ships and tankers, dumped 26,000 kilograms of different toxic metals in scrubber wastewater along the coast, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. Nearly a third of that amount was discharged into critical habitat for endangered southern resident killer whales. The constant stream of heavy metals and other pollutants into the marine environment doesn't only imperil the survival of the 73 remaining orcas and the Chinook salmon that rely on them, but has serious implications for human health as well, said Stephanie Hewson, a staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law, which called for a ban on scrubbers. In addition to threatening the reproductive health of the whales and impairing shell formation in clams, oysters and crabs, the pollutants can impact marine life across large distances, potentially contaminating food sources like shellfish, she said. 'We're talking about ocean and ecosystem health, but we're also talking about the food we're eating,' Hewson said, adding numerous shipping lanes run near shellfish harvesting areas and aquaculture operations. Scrubbers transform air pollution into water pollution and simply swap one environmental problem for another, instead of simply mandating ships to use cleaner but more costly fuels, she said. 'I think our food sources are more important than fuel cost savings,' Hewson said. Shipping sector wants international consistency Research by the International Council on Clean Transportation for the federal government in 2020 found that in addition to water pollutants, ships using scrubbers emit higher levels of carbon pollution, harmful air particles and black carbon — which pose serious health risks and accelerate climate change by darkening snow and ice, causing it to melt faster, especially in the Arctic. The council has also urged the federal government to immediately stop allowing new scrubbers systems to be installed on vessels transiting national waters. It also called for an immediate ban on scrubber discharges into sensitive waters, such as marine-protected areas, coastal waters, the Arctic and internal waterways, including the Great Lakes. It also suggested Canada phase out all types of scrubber systems in all national waters within three years. The Canadian Shipping Federation declined an interview request by Canada's National Observer but did provide its views to Transport Canada on potential scrubber restrictions. The federation suggested any scrubber regulations should reflect international rules, take into account operational realities, and rather than regulating scrubbers, Canada should offer incentives that spur the development of net-zero fuels and technologies. Canada should continue its international work on scrubbers at the IMO to avoid a 'patchwork' of varying rules at ports and different regions that increases the complexity of shipping operations and the risk of violating scrubber regulations, the federation said. The federation acknowledged there's existing science on the harms of wastewater discharge to marine life and Canada's recent IMO submissions detailing air quality and human health concerns tied to scrubbers. However, some research 'paints a different picture," the shipping group said, referencing an unspecified Transport Canada port study that suggested scrubber discharge impacts on water quality are minimal. Canada is contemplating scrubber discharge regulations in marine-protected areas, but rerouting vessels to avoid conservation sites may lengthen journeys, increasing carbon and particle pollution elsewhere, the federation said. Fuel-switching mid-journey could also increase safety risks such as engine failure, it said. Global concerns over ocean pollution Barford dismissed the assertion that science is still out on the harms associated with scrubber wastewater, noting there is plenty of peer-reviewed research on the subject. Hewson agreed, noting concern based on science is widespread worldwide. The ports of Vancouver and Prince George have prohibited scrubber discharges and the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) unanimously supported a ban on scrubber discharge and the use of cleaner fuels by vessels in 2022. California has already enacted cleaner fuel rules and a ban on scrubber discharge in coastal waters, while Denmark, Sweden and Finland launched a phased ban this month that will see all scrubber systems eliminated by 2029. More than a dozen European nations have pledged to do the same in the Northeast Atlantic starting next year. The international rules set by the IMO should be considered the basement, not the ceiling, for scrubber rules, said Barford, who added that no international law prevents countries from protecting sensitive waters in their national jurisdiction. She also disputed that regulations would be unduly harmful to business. 'Most of the vessels operating around the world have already switched to cleaner fuels and are seemingly doing business just fine,' she said. If the cruise industry and global shipping sector are looking to avoid the complexity associated with meeting varying scrubber bans, they could make the switch to cleaner fuels overnight, she said. 'Using scrubbers adds complexity,' Barford said. 'If simplicity is their goal, the easiest thing is just to put cleaner fuel in their tank.' Canada's statistics on scrubber discharge were only released after filed a complaint to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), an international forum where Canada, the US and Mexico address shared environmental concerns. The CEC secretariat has now recommended its council take the next step and establish a 'factual record' — an investigation into how Canada is enforcing pollution regulations under the federal Fisheries Act related to scrubber wastewater. The CEC complaint is in a holding pattern until the commission's council decides its next step, but now the federal government has 'no plausible deniability' about the harm scrubber waste water poses to ocean health and marine life, Barford said. 'We're thrilled with how the CEC process has gone so far,' she said. 'Canada's reply provides unequivocal evidence that they know that there's a problem, and it's impacting southern resident killer whales.' A summary of the public input on scrubbers will be released later this summer, and extensive consultations with the maritime industry, Indigenous groups and port authorities will begin in the fall, said Transport Canada in an email. The ministry didn't answer questions about when it would roll out scrubber rules for marine conservation areas. It also didn't clarify if it's considering any other regulations to protect coastal communities, important marine resources, or sensitive nearshore waters. Canada's National Observer.
