U of Toronto study finds Saskatoon best Canadian city to be a kid at Christmas

SASKATOON – It appears the stockings are hung with just a bit more care, the visions of sugar plums just a bit brighter — in Saskatoon.

A University of Toronto study has found the Saskatchewan city is the best one in Canada for a kid come Christmas morning.

Researchers at the Martin Prosperity Institute in the Rotman School of Management ranked cities across North America based on the abundance of children in the region, the number of toy and game stores per capita, the number of candy stores and the likelihood of having snow on Christmas Day.

Jim Millway, the institute’s executive director, admits the study was a bit tongue-in-cheek.

“I’d like to think we put it through tremendous scientific and rigorous analysis and determined that those were the four (criteria), but actually I think it was just we were sitting around and we were thinking what would be the best four and we came up with those,” Millway said from his home in Oakville, Ont.

The researchers also considered where it would be easiest to get data.

When the numbers were tallied, Saskatoon ended up ranked eighth in North America, but was the top Canadian city.

“I think Saskatoon gets there mostly because of the probability of having a white Christmas, so that was what pulled Saskatoon up,” Millway said.

“Now the next Canadian city was Regina, so the province of Saskatchewan as a whole can claim the bragging rights for being the best province.”

Regina wasn’t close though. It ranked way down at No. 60 overall.

Topping the list was Logan, Utah, followed by Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Fairbanks, Alaska.

Billings, Mont., Niles-Benton Harbor, Mich., Ogden-Clearfield, Utah, and St. George, Utah, were all ahead of Saskatoon. Pocatello, Idaho, and Anchorage, Alaska, rounded out the Top 10.