Growth cramping Calgary's quality of life: survey

Turned off by traffic jams, increasing crime and housing costs, the majority of Calgarians polled by the city said their quality of life has deteriorated in the past three years.

The 2007 Citizen Satisfaction Survey found 61 per cent of those polled said their quality of life had declined since 2004, compared to 51 per cent in the 2006 survey.

Overall, 67 per cent said life in Calgary was good or very good, a drop from 85 per cent just two years earlier and 77 per cent in 2006.

When asked to identify specific issues that have negatively impacted their quality of life,residents answered:

• Speed of growth.
• Transportation, including infrastructure, traffic, roads and transit.
• Cost of living, including housing and homelessness.
• Increased crime.

That dissatisfaction may play into the increasing number of people who are leaving Calgary.

"Whenever I go out to do a listing presentation, naturally I'm hoping that I'm going to list their house and they're going to buy another house in Calgary," saidTed Greenhough, a real estate agent. "But I've found that probably 50 per cent of the time, they're selling their house and moving out of the city."

Greenhough said his clients tell him quality of life is a factor in their decision.

"They're selling their house for $400,000 now and moving back to their hometown and just kind of living the simple life back home."

About 30,000 people moved to Alberta in June and nearly 23,000 packed up and left, according to Statistics Canada.

Overall, Alberta has gained 7,400 new residents so far this year from other provinces, but that's down 25 per cent compared to last year, Stats Can reports.

The City of Calgary has used an annual citizen satisfaction survey since 1997 as a guide for its services and business plan.

The survey,conducted by research firm Ipsos Reid, reached 1,000 random Calgarians over the age of 18 by phone between Aug. 20 and Sept. 12.