The Worst Cities in Canada for Dating

You might have experienced it anecdotally, or heard about it through friends, but some Canadian cities feel down right like desert land when it comes to the dating pool. While it’s hard to quantify just what can make a city the worst for dating, according to the 2016 Census, it turns out there is something to this notion: Some cities are indeed demographically stacked against some singles.

Keep in mind however, the picture below is quite limited in depicting what the dating pool looks like, and assumes pretty boldly that all single people between the ages 20 to 60 are looking to hook up with others singles of the opposite sex between the same ages.

We know already this isn’t always the case, but if you are a single straight female aged 20 to 60, here are the Canadian cities where the ratio of single women to men is least equal, and skews heavily in favour of the men. While this doesn’t give us the full picture on the worst cities to date, it tells us where it may be more challenging to find a partner of the opposite sex, based on numbers alone.

And if you’re wondering where the best chances of you finding a male partner are, then Petawawa, Ontario is for you; there are almost twice as many single males to females (and that’s assuming you’re up for dating army).

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10. Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland & Labrador

11.0 single women for every 10 single men

Grand Falls-Windsor is tucked away in the central region of Newfoundland – the areas largest and the fifth biggest in the province. This said, despite the locale’s relative size, the ratio of single women to men is not equal. There are 11 single women to every 10 single men. For this reason, Grand Falls-Windsor makes the tenth worst spot for single women looking to date in Canada.

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9. Summerside, Prince Edward Island

11.1 single women for every 10 single men

The second largest city on this island-province, Summerside makes the ninth spot on the worst cities to date in Canada. Located on PEI’s west coast, the city population was at 14,829 for the 2016 Census, there were 11.1 single women for every 10 single men.

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8. Orillia, Ontario

11.1 single women for every 10 single men

Nicknamed “The Sunshine City,” Orillia is located in Southern Ontario, in Simcoe Country between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Despite its sheer beauty, and the romantic atmosphere of the city, of all the cities in Canada, Orillia skews female-heavy, with 11.1 single women for every 10 single men.

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7. Salmon Arm, British Columbia

11.2 single women for every 10 single men

Located in British Columbia’s interior region, the town is a frequent tourist destination in non-pandemic times. Despite drawing in crowds from other parts of Canada and beyond, its singles population hasn’t equalized. There are even more single women to single men than in the prior three cities.

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6. Parksville, British Columbia

11.3 single women for every 10 single men

Another British Columbia town, Parksville has actually seen a slight increase in its population, according to the 2016 Census. Known as “The Jewel of Vancouver Island,” it is home to the “Parksville Beachfest,” and the only World Championship Sand Sculpting qualification event in Canada. Despite all that beachfront, the offers unequal playing ground when it comes to dating, at least according to the number of single women to men.

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5. Gander, Newfoundland & Labrador

11.4 single women for every 10 single men

Another Newfoundland town to make it onto this list, Gander is located in the northeastern part of Newfoundland. It isn’t far from its closest neighbour on this list – Grand Falls-Windsor. If you’re looking to couple off with the opposite sex, keep looking, as Gander’s numbers skew even more heavily in favour of single men, with 11.4 single women for every 10 single men.

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4. North Battleford, Saskatchewan

11.6 single women for every 10 single men

North Battleford, in west-central Saskatchewan, is the seventh largest city in the province. It is on the North Saskatchewan River, across the other town of Battleford, which interestingly doesn’t appear on this list. North Battleford sees 11.6 single women for every 10 single men.

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Cobourg, Ontario

11.8 single women for every 10 single men

Located in southern Ontario, it is just east of Toronto on the way to Ottawa (and if you’re curious how Toronto measures up, more on that shortly). Another waterfront city (we’re sensing a pattern here), Cobourg reported an increase in its population in the 2016 Census. With its small-town feel, Cobourg may inspire singles to cozy up, but the numbers here favour single males even more than the prior seven city-spots. This said, as another reminder of the limitations of the parameters used to gage this list, Cobourg boasts a thriving LGBTQ2S+ community and its own Pride parade.

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2. Campbellton, Quebec

12.1 single women for every 10 single men

Sister city to Cambellton, New Brunswick and yet another town situated on the water (the banks of the Restigouche River to be exact), Campbellton, Quebec is near Canada’s most disproportionately divided city. While forestry and tourism are its top industries, and there are ample scenic getaways, Campbellton makes the second spot for cities that make dating hardest on women.

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1. Pointe-à-la-Croix, QB

12.8 single women for every 10 single men

Claiming the top spot is Campbellton’s neighbour, Pointe-à-la-Croix. In the 2016 census, this northeastern Quebec town reported 235 males for every 300 females (or amounting to 12.8 single women for every 10 single men).

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So, how do Canada’s most populous cities stack up?

Based on the Census, it doesn’t always come down to population size. For example, Toronto, the most populous city in Canada, is the top major city on this list for the worst cities to be a single women if you’re looking to pair off with a single man. When we get down to Vancouver, the numbers begin to shift in favour of women. 24. Toronto - 10.3 single women for every 10 single men. 25. Halifax - 10.3 single women for every 10 single men. 48. Vancouver - 9.9 single women for every 10 single men. 71. Montréal - 9.5 single women for every 10 single men. 79. Winnipeg - 9.4 single women for every 10 single men. 109. Calgary - 9.1 single women for every 10 single men.