#5: Go North, Young Retiree?

As we traversed the country north of Lake Superior, we passed the turn-off to the small, northern city of Elliot Lake; it has been in the news lately because part of a shopping mall recently collapsed, killing two women.

I was reminded that unfortunate events are not unknown to the residents of this mining town just off Highway 17 between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. When the uranium mine closed in the 1990's, more than one third of the population moved away and the town was in crisis.  But those Northerners are resilient.  They devised a brilliant survival strategy that has since been adopted by other single industry towns under threat.   Elliot Bay marketed itself as a retirement community.  Cheap housing was the primary drawing card along with the wealth of outdoor leisure opportunities.  The plan succeeded, and rebranded Elliot Bay is a viable city once more. 

Still, this northern retirement town is not on the list of 10 Top Places to Retire in Canada.  Perhaps it is too isolated.  Maybe the winters are too severe.  Who knows?   In any case, this list seems arbitrary enough to include just about any city or town you could name, so it might as well have Elliot Lake.   Canada's largest and most expensive cities are there.  Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto are apparently perfect places to retire. The list makers especially love Toronto because it supports many sports franchises! The same logic would have retired Brits flocking to London so they could watch tennis, or Americans heading to New York for a choice of two baseball teams.  Are these guys serious?

The retirees I know don't move to Toronto, they move away.  They tell me that for all its attributes,TO is too big and congested.  These retired folk are tired of commuting.  They want small, affordable and convenient. If they need to access the glories of the big city, they move to nearby towns and enjoy the best of both worlds.  They might in fact, choose Stratford or Owen Sound, the  two most sensible choices on the 10 Top Places List.

In truth, the best thing about this ideosyncratic list is that my hometown Guelph did not make the cut. This well situated city near Toronto is, to my way of thinking, perfect, but I don't really want everyone know. It is now an ideal size and I would be happy to have it stay that way.

Thinking of moving?  Check that list again and look pay special attention to hockey and basketball teams. That's (apparently) what retirees want most. You wouldn't like Guelph.  Their hockey team sucks.