For the second year running, Condé Nast Traveler magazine has crowned Victoria, B.C. the “Best Small City in the World.” A dreamy title, sure—but let’s be real. Is this based on the quality of life, affordable housing, or even the happiness of its residents? Of course not.
This dubious honor was bestowed by travelers who rate cities based on their cushy hotel stays, posh spa days, and luxury cruises—not the actual day-to-day realities of the people living there.
As visitors enjoy their high-end experiences, locals face an absolute nightmare. Emergency rooms are so overcrowded that wait times can stretch up to 16 hours with people desperate for help—many for basic medical issues because they can’t find a family doctor. Overdose numbers are skyrocketing, ambulance services are beyond capacity, and high school students are now being trained in naloxone administration because overdoses have become the leading cause of death for 10 to 18-year-olds.
What does this “best small city” title mean for the locals drowning in mortgage payments or, worse, facing homelessness? Does it help the families lining up at the food banks that are increasingly overburdened? Or is it merely a convenient badge for the tourism industry to slap on a brochure, designed to bring in more cash and sweep the local crises under the rug?
Victoria’s hotel prices are now the third highest in Canada, right behind Toronto and Vancouver! That’s what really matters, right? Yet it remains the case that the average Victorian will never reap the benefits of these profits.
