London, Ont. ranks highly on environmental scorecard: Report
When it comes to environmentally friendly living conditions among Canada’s largest cities, the Forest City is paving the way, according to a new report.
A new report published in the journal Environmental International examined 30 cities across Canada with a population of more than 100,000 people. It analyzed environmental factors such as air quality, noise pollution, water quality, risk of natural disasters and access to green space.
From these factors, it then calculated an overall score.
“London has the highest overall scores out of any of the cities,” said Daniel Rainham, the senior author of the study.
The study compared each of the 30 cities inclusively, and weighed each of the environmental factors to calculate the final rating. The goal is to provide communities with an overall view of where they’re succeeding and where they need improvement.
“The idea is to look within the city and to look at your city overall and say, ‘Do we have a lot of inequity in terms of access to health environmental conditions?’ And, ‘Where are the places that we can improve?’” said Rainham.
A map of the City of London that ranks its environmentally friendly living conditions based on a multitude of factors. On a ranking of 30 cities across Canada, London, Ont. ranked first when it came to environmental equity. (Source: Environment International)
London ranked the highest with a median score of 70, while nearby Kitchener and Guelph also scored well.
On the flip side however, several of Canada’s largest cities fared poorly. For example, Alberta’s urban centers of Edmonton and Calgary ranked at the bottom.
Rainham said London’s balance helps it score well.
“Across the board, all the neighbourhoods within the city will have fairly high scores. So it’s not a large range across all of the neighbourhoods, and that bodes well in terms of good environmental conditions,” he explained.
Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said having this data can help better inform future environmental decisions going forward.
“When I looked at the map in the study, you can almost see where some of our major parks overlap in some of the areas with the best results,” he said.
He added, “We recognize the value – not so much in comparing ourselves to other municipalities because I think that we don’t want to get into a competition. But we want to look at how we as a community, how we as a regional leader, and how we as an urban centre can contribute to keeping Ontario’s environment clean and healthy.”
As Canada’s population becomes increasingly urbanized, Rainham said data such as the report can help those communities think critically about city design and planning, and better identifying neighbourhoods that need improvement.
— With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army ordered some 100,000 Palestinians on Monday to begin evacuating from the southern city of Rafah, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent and further complicating efforts to broker a cease-fire in Gaza.