According to Island Health statistics, Saanich residents have the on Vancouver Island.

And they are among the .

So maybe it should come as no surprise a recent report by MoneySense magazine has determined Greater VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 most populous municipality as the best place to live on Vancouver Island.

The is based on a number of including amenities, income, weather and affordability B次元官网网址� 35 categories in total. It looked at 219 communities across the country and assigned each a score based on how they compared against the rest.

When they added up the totals, Saanich had finished 13th overall, significantly higher than its Island runner-up, Comox.

B次元官网网址淥f course, was there any question?B次元官网网址� acting Saanich mayor Vicki Sanders said, tongue only partly in cheek.

The 2016 ranking was news to her, although she is aware of the community scoring well in previous surveys. She said she appreciates the recognition, and having the numbers back up her personal observations.

B次元官网网址淚 feel proud as a person who grew up here,B次元官网网址� she said.

MoneySense compiled the rankings using statistical data from Statistics Canada, Environics Analytics and other sources.

B次元官网网址淲hile we canB次元官网网址檛 gauge many of the elements that people enjoy in their cities, the nearness of family, the friendliness of neighbours or even great sunsets, we have measured what can be measured and compared what can be compared,B次元官网网址� report author Mark Brown said.

According to the report, which was released in June, Saanich scored among the top 25 per cent of Canadian cities in employment, access to health care, arts and sports opportunities, and crime rate. It finished in the top 10 cities overall for ease of access to walking, biking and transit.

It also received recognition as a great place for new Canadians, finishing sixth in the country in that respect. Employment, apartment rental costs, and an existing immigrant population of 17 per cent were cited as factors.

That was also news to Sanders, but not a surprise. She said the same standard of living, amenities and lifestyle balance that Saanich offers established Canadians also applies to immigrants, and it is complemented by a genuine community effort to welcome newcomers.

The IslandB次元官网网址檚 top-ranked city finished fourth-overall in B.C. after West Vancouver (7 overall), North Vancouver (8), and Port Moody (11). The countryB次元官网网址檚 top five cities were, in order, Ottawa, Burlington, and Oakville, Ont., St. Albert, Alta., and Boucherville, Que.

Among the reportB次元官网网址檚 other interesting findings was that Victoria was ranked as the best place to retire in B.C. and the fifth-best place in the country B次元官网网址� in part because of an average property tax of $1,026, a total of 3.73 doctors per 1,000 residents and an average of 319 days a year with temperatures above freezing. The magazine put special emphasis on senior-friendly considerations like low taxes, a thriving cultural community, quick access to an airport and plenty of doctors, when determining the retirement list.

Saanich was also the IslandB次元官网网址檚 top city in the previous edition of the MoneySense report, finishing 12th overall in 2015. Vancouver Island cities in general slipped considerably on the overall list compared to 2015, most notably Victoria, Comox, Courtenay and Campbell River.

Some of those commenting online questioned the validity of a purely statistical exercise.

"I would say surveys like this are inaccurate. What people consider to be the best in a city would depend a great deal on what they value in life,B次元官网网址� someone identifying themselves as Robert Grandfield wrote.

B次元官网网址淭hese surveys are totally out of touch with reality. North and West Vancouver are nearly impossible to afford housing except to multi-millionaires. Victoria is fast going the same way. Nanaimo, population around 100,000 with a reasonably large hospital, gets no tick for health facilities or anything else including affordability,B次元官网网址� A.J. Willcocks posted.

B次元官网网址淵our researchers should spend at least a week in each city surveyed, I doubt they have actually visited any of them, just read up city stats on Wikipedia.B次元官网网址�

How Island communities ranked

13. Saanich (12)

71. Comox (25)

91. Victoria (50)

153. Nanaimo (142)

162. Courtenay (129)

172. Parksville (178)

183. Duncan (171)

192. Campbell River (166)

210. Port Alberni (207)

B次元官网网址� MoneySense magazine, last yearB次元官网网址檚 rank in parentheses

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