From September 5 to December 1, 2024, we surveyed Canadians in major cities on issues affecting their cities.
Some of the key highlights of our survey about municipal issues in Canadian cities include…
Housing affordability is the main issue in major Canadian cities
60% of Canadians mentioned it as being the biggest issue or the second biggest issue facing their municipality. This concern is particularly important in the cities of Victoria (76%), Halifax (73%), Vancouver (73%), and Surrey (69%).
In smaller proportions, other important issues include homelessness, poverty, and mental health issues (37%), property taxes and spending (23%), traffic congestion (19%), and public safety (13%).
Half of Canadians (51%) would like to elect a new mayor and council in the next municipal election.
This sentiment is even stronger among residents of Calgary (67%) and Halifax (59%). In contrast, only 25% of Canadians want their current municipal administration to remain in power, with residents of Ottawa (34%) and Toronto (33%) being more inclined to support the existing leadership.
Four out of ten Canadians (41%) approve of the job their municipal administration is doing, while 46% disapprove.
Respondents living in Calgary are more likely to disapprove of their municipal administration (59%).
Almost half of Canadians (45%) think things are worse in their municipality since the last municipal election.
Respondents living in Calgary are more likely to think things are worse in their city (58%).
Methodology
This web survey was conducted from September 5 to December 1, 2024, with 2,602 Canadians aged 18 or older, randomly recruited from LEO’s online panel. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey.
For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size yields a margin of error no greater than ±1.96%, (19 times out of 20) for the Canadian sample.
