Canada’s Best Hometowns, 2006 By Lisa Cherry, Andrew Findlay, Luke Fox, Steve MacDonald, Eric Rumble, Steve Threndyle, Shel Zolkewich Jul 1, 2006

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PLAY If the ocean brings work, it also brings play. Beaches, boating and sports fishing are a way of life here in the summer, as locals politely navigate around tourist crowds.

STAY Would-be “come-from-aways” should buy now. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lunenburg is attracting investors the world over. The town is 250 years old and many homes are easily half that age. Starters top out at $150,000; the biggest fish go for half a million.

HANG Magnolia’s Grill on Montague Street whips up fishcakes and tangy rhubarb chutney in a casual local-heavy space. Wash it down with their famous freshly squeezed lemonade.

NEIGHBOURLY ADVICE “G et out and get involved,” says Tessa Dixon, who returned to Nova Scotia from a marketing career in To ronto. “I eat the mussels and my sister makes the flowers. It’s a pretty good deal.”  —Steve MacDonald

Sackville, New Brunswick

Population: 5,361  

Median Household Income: $43,286

Median Home Price: $99,182

Climate: Continental meets maritime—milder winters, cooler summers

Median Age: 41

 

If you think small-town life is for the birds, Sackville will show you just how right you are. Nestled on the Tantramar Marshes of southern New Brunswick, this small university town a half hour from Moncton is brimming with mature trees and stately houses around a 55-acre waterfowl park that’s home to some 160 bird species.

WORK Mount Allison University is the major employer, and consistently scoops Canada’s cream of the undergrad. A service industry to feed, clothe and sell mac and cheese to all those students makes up 77 per cent of the town’s economic base. The Sackville Memorial Hospital is part of a health authority that has twice been ranked one of Canada’s top employers.

PLAY The typical small-town list of things to do, with an artsy, academic twist. A few suggestions: varsity sports (you’re cheering for the Mounties), the waterfowl park (don’t feed the ducks), the Live Bait Theatre (catch a play).

STAY Get past the student rental flats and Sackville boasts the je ne sais quoi that academia often injects into a small town’s housing stock. Prices are low and curb appeal is high by big-city standards. About $100,000 will get you into a decent starter home, while a downtown century two-storey tops out at $250,000.

HANG Since traffic lured the drive-thru chains outside town to the highway, the Bridge St. Café has had the caffeine-hungry students in the downtown core all to itself. Pull up a chair on the patio, grab a fair-trade coffee and a tasty grilled chicken Parisian baguette. The friendly space is a farmers’ market on Saturdays.

NEIGHBOURLY ADVICE “Get out and walk, especially in Waterfowl Park,” says student Jane Reid. “There are beavers and muskrats and all kinds of cool stuff.”  —Steve Mac Donald

 

Collingwood, Ontario

Population: 16,039  

Median Household Income: $55,208

Median Home Price: $256,250

Climate: Humid summers; snowy and sunny winters

Median Age: 41

 

Fuelled by development bucks, the white-bread town nestled at the base of the generously titled Blue Mountain (actually a promontory of the Niagara Escarpment elevating 216 metres) and kissing the southern point of Georgian Bay is picking up steam. Fit for the fit, this fresh-air locale just far enough from the Big Smoke’s smog teems with mountain- and water-oriented athletic pursuits.

WORK Ontario’s preeminent ski and snowboard spot, Blue Mountain boasts a Whistler-esque base village courtesy of tourism titan Intrawest, a company employing 350 full-time and 1,300 seasonal workers. Benefit-laden factory work can be found at Pilkington Glass, Goodyear and Kaufman.

PLAY With the waves of the world’s longest freshwater beach (14 km of the sandy Wasaga) lapping 15 minutes away, and Blue Mountain looming on the horizon, the outdoors is in. Cast your rod in the Nottawasaga River, canoe, sail, swim, or kiteboard in Georgian Bay, and squeeze your rock-climbing frame through Fat Man’s Misery at Scenic Caves.

STAY Recreational condos (starting at $120,000) provide window-targets for the multiplying golf courses. A three-bedroom bungalow nestled in one of the town’s quiet crescents can be had for under $200,000.

HANG Après-ski, Blue Rodeo cover bands get the turtleneck set rocking at Windy O’Neill’s. Cycle to Duncan’s for lunch, or consume a cut of wiener schnitzel that eclipses your plate at the Swiss Alphorn.

NEIGHBOURLY ADVICE “ The ongoing transformation… has generated unlimited opportunities within the tourism industry,” gushes Mark Rich, Blue Mountain’s director of sales. “Opportunities await independent businesses developed to serve our year-round guests and growing residential base.”  —Luke Fox

Pinawa, Manitoba

 

Population: 1,500 

Median Household Income: $44,568

Median Home Price: $79,909

Climate: Snowy winters; hot summers with about 17 inches of rain

Median Age : 48

 

The old jokes continue to fly: Why are there no streetlights in Pinawa? Because people from Pinawa glow in the dark. It all stems from the town’s raison d’être. In 1963, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) created Pinawa to house staff for its Whiteshell Laboratories. What were they doing deep down there in the underground chambers? Testing methods to store used nuclear waste. Hence the, um, jokes.

WORK A decade ago, AECL got its operating cash cut and had to say goodbye to most of its 1,100 workers. There are less than 270 left today. Residents are finding work with an electron beam manufacturing company, the school district or hospital. The town also invested in wireless broadband, bringing the global marketplace to local entrepreneurs.

PLAY The Winnipeg River runs through it, and it’s an irresistible attraction for anglers, water skiers, boaters of every stripe and windsurfers. With the Canadian Shield out the back door, every trail is a beauty.

STAY Manitoba is catching up to the rest of the country in housing prices. Still, Pinawa is a bargain. Grab a 75-foot wide vacant lot with lovely trees in town for $29,900. A 1,000-square-foot home built in the late-’70s: $124,900.

HANG The Pinawa Club (at the golf course) serves up hearty meals year-round complete with homemade pies. Take a seat on the new patio but keep an eye out for duffers aiming for the 18th hole.

NEIGHBOURLY ADVICE “The deer were one of the biggest motivating factors for us coming to Pinawa,” community development officer Nancy Bremner says of the large resident deer population that roams the roads year-round like elk in Banff.    —Shel Zolkewich

Canmore, Alberta

Population: 15,000

Median Household Income:  $57,910

Median Home Price: $271,000

Climate: Arid, with snowy winters

Median Age: 34

 

Nestled in a valley of daunting peaks that separates the Banff-to-Lake Louise corridor and the rugged splendour of Kananaskis Country, Canmore is an un pretentious epicentre of serenity and sweaty adventure. Please don’t feed the bears or cougars.

WORK Thanks to over $127 million in building permits in 2005, construction crews are always looking for extra muscle. Hospitality has held steady at about 20 per cent of the workforce for the last decade, followed closely by the health, education, social- and personal-service sectors. In homage to the town’s mellow entrepreneurialism, a third of businesses are home-based.

PLAY Pick your adrenalin-pumping poison. The area’s gargantuan outdoors include mountain ascents for all abilities, the sterling Grassi Lakes and the Bow River—all stitched together by a trail network teeming with woods and wildlife. Small surprise, then, that your neighbours are likely mountain or road bikers, kayakers, rafters, climbers, anglers, golfers, snowboarders or skiers—the majority probably all of the above.

STAY Though a vast range of digs—from trailer parks to low-rise condo complexes to sprawling, secluded log cabins—suggest that there’s room for just about anyone, dipping into your nest egg won’t be optional. Average resale prices have gone into orbit over the last three years, from the mid-$300,000s to well over half a million for a semi.

HANG The main drag boasts a good range of rustic bars and impressive restaurants. The Grizzly Paw makes a line of well-crafted brews on site (and offers tasty, refined pub grub), and Crazy Weed tempers exquisite, upscale comfort food with laid-back ambiance next door.  

NEIGHBOURLY ADVICE In order to truly enjoy the area, you need “closet and storage space for both gear and clothes,” says local artist and photographer Dan Hudson.    —Eric Rumble

Vernon, British Columbia

 

Population: 36,000 

Median Household Income: $44,798

Median Home Price: $236,000

Climate: The surrounding hills and lakes cool off the fierce sun

Median Age: 39

 

Tucked into a sweet corner of the Okanagan and surrounded by golf and ski resorts, little Vernon is big on the good life.

WORK Major employers include forest product manufacturer Tolko, Kal Tire, a regional hospital and a school board. Those with a penchant for indie mountain hip are encouraged to give the Chamber of Commerce a ring ( vernonchamber.ca).

PLAY Nearby Silver Star Resort has the best glade and backcountry skiing this side of the Kootenays, and a killer mountain bike park fuels summer’s adrenalin rush. For the life aquatic, the turquoise-green waters of Kalamalka Lake have a beauty that rivals the Dalmatian Coast. Award-winning Predator Ridge’s outstanding three nines can be played in differing combinations to put together an 18-hole round.

STAY Just west of town, The Rise is a Tuscan-inspired development that combines two Okanagan passions—great wine and a superb golf course. For fast-fading bargains, check out the Easthill neighbourhood for fixer-uppers.

HANG People drive 40 minutes from Kelowna to feast on Moroccan lamb at the Eclectic Med; decidedly non-Mediterranean buffalo and venison are also seasonal favourites.

NEIGHBOURLY ADVICE “Whether on foot or by bike, the best views in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park are on the Coldstream Trail to Cousens Bay,” says Peter Dorey, owner of Olympia Cycle in town. “On the way back to town, stop at Alexander’s Pub on Kal Lake Road for an Okanagan Spring Pale Ale and take in the beach volleyball action.”  —Steve Threndyle

Squamish, British Columbia

Population: 16,000

Median Household Income: $57,058

Median Home Price: $317,000

Climate: Wet winters with warm, dry summers

Median Age: 35.5

 

Situated at the head of Howe Sound near the confluence of three salmon rivers, Squamish has been making the bumpy transition from roughhewn logging town to recreation nirvana by cashing in on its proximity to mountains, rivers, ocean and bald eagles.

WORK Since last year’s closing of Western Forest Product’s pulp mill, forestry has continued its downward slide. But these days. Sea-to-Sky country is bracing for the Olympic onslaught just four years out, and Squamish is already well positioned as a tourism service centre. Throw in rumblings about Vancouver ferry service and a cruise ship dock and you’ve got yourself several new industries.

PLAY Cycle to the crags with your rock climbing gear, the briny scent of the ocean in the air and the Mamquam River raging with spring melt. What Squamish lacks in haute monde, it makes up in staggering outdoor adventure opportunities, from big-wall rock climbing on the Stawamus Chief’s granite monolith to kiteboarding in Howe Sound.

STAY Though mainstreet Squamish is still a bit neglected, recreational pilgrims from Vancouver and Whistler refugees are turning the town into a mountain lifestyle centre without the Gucci, and there are big plans for revitalizing the town’s prime oceanfront once dominated by industry.  

HANG The Howe Sound BrewPub is a local favourite with its hearty Diamond Head Stout. Alternatively, head to the cultural epicentre of the Squamish Valley, Thor Froslev’s whimsical Brackendale Art Gallery.

NEIGHBOURLY ADVICE “I used to commute here from Vancouver to bike, climb and ski. Now I commute to work from here. Enough said,” says Chris Christie, a Squamish-based photographer and North Vancouver firefighter.  —Andrew Findlay

Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

Population : 10,500 (in summer)

Median Household Income: $48,948

Median Home Price: $629,000

Climate: Moderate—one snowfall per year; sunny spring and summers; rainy winters

Median Age: 48

 

As the ferry approaches Salt Spring Island from Victoria’s Swartz Bay, the scene’s resemblance to Shangri-La is purely coincidental. Mount Maxwell looms on the horizon, mountainous treed hills stretch south and swans circle the harbour on the approach to this, the largest of the Gulf Islands.

WORK The largest employer, as with many of the Gulf Islands, is BC Ferries and the school district. Artists come next, as do healers of all modalities, and trades people for the housing boom.

PLAY Stroll along 22 beaches, play a pesticide-free golf course, hike among the magical skyscraping fir trees of the renowned Mount Erskine or Mount Maxwell (the latter for a magnificent view of the neighbouring San Juan Islands in the States), swim in the eight chilly lakes or mountain bike the hilly roads. And leave a full day to do the artists’ studio tour—42 studios with some of Canada’s best arts and crafts. Want spirituality? Summers offer a lengthy retreat at the world-renowned Salt Spring Centre of Yoga.

STAY From rustic log cabins off the grid, to straw bale or rammed earth mansions, Salt Spring offers everything from about $200,000 to over $3 million.

HANG Spend your Saturday in Ganges, the Island’s largest town, where eclectic artists mix with locals, and buy a variety of organic produce from some of Salt Spring’s 35 organic farms. At night, run early to grab a table outside at the Treehouse Cafe for rocking, live music by the likes of Randy Bachman, Valdy, Harry Manx, and dozens more.

NEIGHBOURLY ADVICE “It’s a blending of so many different people and so many different lifestyles... You can be in a bank line with a single, hippy mom, a logger and a millionaire,” says Canadian folkie legend and proud Islander, Valdy.  —Lisa Cherry

Comox, British Columbia

Population: 54,640

Median Household Income: $53,297

Median Home Price: $239,000

Climate: Winter rains; moderate year-round

Median Age: 39

 

According to a local First Nation myth, when a village elder dreamed of a coming flood, Comox natives boarded cedar bark canoes and tethered them to the glacier. As the waters rose, the glacier became a white whale and led the people to safety. Today, it still watches over the valley and though climate change has been tough on the glacier, it remains a prominent landmark visible while sailing in Comox Harbour or strolling down 5th Street in downtown Courtenay.

WORK Despite rampant urban growth and skyrocketing real estate, people are still moving here, not for work but for the social, recreational and cultural attributes. Throughout the slow, agonizing death of the resource sector, C.F.B. Comox and Mt. Washington Alpine Resort have been the stalwarts of the local economy. Today, a growing mix of self-starter small businesses have added much-needed diversity.

PLAY Comox Valley residents are smug for a reason. You can swing clubs, ski, sail and ride some of Vancouver Island’s best single track on the same spring day when the rest of the country is excavating out from yet another snow storm.

STAY A flood of Albertan oil sheiks has poured onto the Island ever since WestJet began direct flights from Calgary three years ago. Between 2004 and 2005, home prices surged an average of 18 per cent, meaning the days of the $120,000 fixer-upper are long over.

HANG Trent McIntyre and Sandra Viney have been setting the standard in local cuisine since opening the doors of Atlas Cafe a decade ago, where suits and ski bums are equally at home. For the past two years, the rustic, 80-seat Abbey Theatre in Cumberland has hosted an astonishing variety of international live music and multi-media artists.

NEIGHBOURLY ADVICE “The pace of life is a little slower so people have time to go to a poetry reading, yoga, an art class or a song-writing circle,” says Wendy Nixon Stothert, a music teacher and choir instructor.  —Andrew Findlay
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