Sudbury makes Top 10 list for best Canadian cities to survive a zombie apocalypse

The City of Greater Sudbury made the Top 10 list in a recent survey outlining the best cities in Canada to survive a zombie apocalypse.

Vale Superstack in Sudbury, Ont. March 27/23 (Amanda Hicks/CTV Northern Ontario)

Conducted by online rental platform Rentola, the study analyzed five categories ranked in terms of survival potential: vulnerability, hideouts, supplies, safety and mobility.

Benjamin Vajic, one of the lead researchers, said he thought of the idea in June of last year due to the pandemic.

"With COVID, how it’s been affecting the entire world and I think it’s the closest our generation has come to an apocalyptic state of some sort," Vajic said.

He said his interest in the subject is also due to the popular series "The Last of Us."

"I’ve been hooked on it for the last few months, so I just think that really sparked the idea to do it right now," Vajic said.

Sudbury was chosen as the eighth best city to survive a zombie apocalypse.

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"The main factors are mobility and the supply ranking and the vulnerability ranking were really, really high for Sudbury," he said.

Vajic said lower population, accessibility to water through lakes and rivers also make Sudbury favourable.

Sudbury city councillor Mark Signoretti said this speaks to how northern Ontario and Sudbury, in particular, has a lot to offer.

"If you’re looking at density in the core, our lakes, our outdoor activities, that sort of thing, the resources we have," Signoretti said.

There are a number of places to go underground locally to allow for added protection, he said.

Sudbury MPP Jamie West said Sudbury offers increased access to fresh water.

"We do have 300 lakes, which would make surviving a lot easier," West said.

Both politicians said while they wish Sudbury was ranked higher, they’re happy the city did so well.

West said he also believes the city has a small-town feel and would pull together if the fictional scenario were to happen.

"We really care about each other, and just being out in community events, we really don’t have that big city hard-edge," West said.

"We have a compassionate side and I think that would benefit us if there ever was a zombie apocalypse."

Here is how the 35 Canadian metropolitan areas ranked:

1. Edmonton

2. Saskatoon

3. Guelph, Ont.

4. Calgary

5. Regina

6. Winnipeg

7. Kelowna, B.C.

8. Greater Sudbury, Ont.

9. Kingston, Ont.

10. Abbotsford, B.C.

11. London, Ont.

12. Windsor, Ont.

13. Oshawa, Ont.

14. Ottawa

15. Peterborough, Ont.

16. Brantford, Ont.

17. St. Catharines, Ont.

18. Halifax

19. Hamilton, Ont.

20. Barrie, Ont.

21. Thunder Bay, Ont.

22. Vancouver

23. St. John’s

24. Quebec City

25. Kitchener, Ont.

26. Victoria

27. Lethbridge, Alta.

28. Moncton, N.B.

29. Toronto

30. Saguenay, Que.

31. Sherbrook, Que.

32. Montreal

33. Trois-Rivieres, Que.

34. Belleville, Ont.

35. Saint John, N.B.