Vancouver 3rd in world in quality of life survey

Vancouver's natural assets and temperate climate make it one of the best cities in the world in which to live, a new survey says.

The annual quality of life survey released by Mercer Human Resource Consulting placed Vancouver third out of 215 cities, the same as last year.

Vancouver's climate helped it rise in the rankings, according to Mercer spokeswoman Danielle Bushen.

The only two places that beat the West Coast city were Zurich and Geneva in Switzerland.

Toronto edged up one spot in the rankings to 14th place. Montreal was 22nd, up two spots, Ottawa was unchanged in 20th spot, and Calgary was 25th, down one.

All five Canadian cities in the survey were praised for their relatively high levels of "personal safety and security" and for being in a politically stable country.

Baghdad was deemed the world's least secure city because of ongoing civil unrest and threats of attack in the city. Luxembourg was ranked the top city for personal safety and security.

In the United States, the highest-rated cities were Honolulu and San Francisco, tied in 25th spot with Calgary, while Houston, in 68th spot, ranked lowest.