Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Serving the Hub of the North since 1960
Volume 56 • Issue 24
Banner weekend DOUBLE CHECKING TICKET PAYS OFF NEWS - PAGE 2
Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of RDPC Athletics R.D. Parker Collegiate’s track and field team won the banner for AAA high schools at provincials in Brandon June 9 - 11. See more on Page 7.
LESS THAN ONE MONTH UNTIL MUSICAL RIDE NEWS - PAGE 2
Thompson jumps 45 places in MoneySense rankings of Canada’s best places to live BY IAN GRAHAM EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE LIFESAVING SKILLS NEWS - PAGE 5
LACROSSE TEAM WINS CONSOLATION FINAL SPORTS - PAGE 7
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Thompson moved up 45 spots from 177th in 2015 to 132nd this year in MoneySense magazine’s annual ranking of Canada’s best places to live, which compares the attributes of 219 communities across the country. Thompson was among the top 10 places on the survey in terms of affordable housing and also earned check marks in the categories of low unemployment, high incomes and low house prices. MoneySense pegged Thompson’s population at 14,201 and the annual growth rate at 0.71 per cent. Unemployment was calculated at 5.1 per cent and MoneySense said 11.2 per cent of Thompsonites were employed in the health care field, with another 1.5 per cent working in the arts and recreation fields. The median household income is $90,738, $50,202 of which is designated as discretionary. The average household net worth is $126,387 and the value of primary real estate averages $197,812. The ratio fo the average home price to the average
income was 1.96 and the average rent for a two-bedroom home equivalent to 10.6 per cent of the average income. MoneySense said the home ownership rate was 75 per cent. The average income tax for a person earning $50,000 was $10,822, while the average property tax was 2.29 per cent of the average income or $2,174. The highest-ranked city of comparable size to Thompson in the MoneySense rankings was Bracebridge, Ont., which ranked 18th overall in its first appearance in the rankings. That community, with 16,593 people, had a lower annual population change (0.51 per cent), a lower median household income ($79,539) and lower average discretionary income ($46,488) but a higher average household net worth of $532,387, aided in part by a higher average value of primary real estate ($276,179). Bracebridge’s rent-to-income and home price-to-income ratios (13 per cent and 3.16, respectively) were poorer than Thompson’s, but a person earning $50,000 per year there pays an average of only $8,405 in income
tax, though property taxes as a percentage of income are higher at 2.75 per cent. Bracebridge also had fewer people employed in health care (7.9 per cent) than Thompson and fewer people driving cars from the model year 2013 or newer (17.8 per cent compared to 25.4 per cent for Thompson). While Thompson’s crime rate per 1,000 people of 4,756.48 was worse than Bracebridge’s 3,654.08, the Hub of the North actually had a lower crime severity index score of 55.7 compared to 64 for the Ontario city and the violent crime severity index in Bracebridge was 49.7 compared to 34.4 in Thompson. Where the Nickel City can’t compete, however, is in the climate category. Bracebridge has an average of 3.8 days above 24 degrees Celsius compared to 1.3 for Thompson, according to MoneySense, and an average of 107 days with a daily maximum temperature of more than 20 Celsius, compared to 66.9 in Thompson. Bracebridge also has an average of 181.7 days with a minimum temperature above freezing, while Thompson has 126.7.
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The rankings are compiled by assigning points to various categories in order of their importance. Housing constitutes the largest portion, at 12 points, with weather and unemployment second with a value of 10 points each. Population growth is worth eight points, with communities above or below MoneySense’s ideal of 1.6 per cent being ranked lower. Crime stats are worth seven points, while the number of residents who walk or bike to work is worth up to six points, as were amenities such as hospitals and universities or colleges, movie theatres and proximity to an airport served by Air Canada or WestJet. The number of arts and recreation professionals, the number of doctors, and workers using transit were each valued at up to five points, as was median household income and discretionary income. The number of health care workers was assigned up to four points, the income tax rate three points, the property tax rate two points and other categories one point each. A maximum perfect score would be 103 and Ottawa, the top-ranked community on the list, earned 71.7 points this year.
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