Truro's latest tumble in a national magazine's list of the best places to live in Canada is not what we wanted to hear.
According to MoneySense magazine, Nova Scotia's Hubtown rates a lowly 160th out of the 179 cities and communities that were deemed important enough to be graded.
On the plus side, Truro did finish ahead of New Glasgow, which does have some merit - if you're a sports fan. And at least it made the list, which is more than some similar-sized Nova Scotia towns - read Yarmouth and Amherst - can say.
But winding up near the bottom of the list is not a strong selling point for Truro or, by extension, its surrounding communities.
For those not in the loop, MoneySense compiles data from cities and towns with populations over 10,000 people. The categories include climate, prosperity, access to healthcare, home affordability, crime rates and lifestyle with subcategories in each area. A city has to score well in all categories to come out on top and Ottawa is number one on this year's list.
Therein, however, lies the problem. Simply put, for the list to carry additional weight MoneySense should subdivide communities into at least two categories - those with populations of 75,000 or more and those with less.
After all, data or no data, how can one seriously compare Truro and Ottawa. As we said when this list came out last year, its like comparing apples and oranges.
We also take issue with some of the numbers MoneySense came up with - the most glaring of which lists Truro's 'violent crime rate' 163rd in the country. We'd like to see the numbers to back that up. The town also ranked extremely low in culture, which is simply ridiculous when one considers the strong musical tradition in this area, the vibrant arts scene, the Marigold Cultural Centre and more.
Maybe, too, the survey would better reflect this area if it included the communities that surround Truro such as Bible Hill, Valley, North River, Onslow, Millbrook and others.
Still, there is always room for improvement. List or no list.
The only thing that's full of holes are the streets in Truro, full of potholes. I think we should rename Truro to Dodge City ... we're dodging those potholes constantly.