Toronto is actually the safest Canadian city to live in according to a new data analysis from financial resource website Money.ca.
Looking at the Canadian Crime Index, experts with Money.ca determined the top ten most dangerous, and least dangerous cities in Canada by looking at rates of specific crimes per 100,000 people in 2021.
The analysis found that Lethbridge, a town in southern Alberta, was the most dangerous city in Canada to live in with a rate of 1,190 criminal instances per 100,000 people. It’s also the city that saw the most instances of breaking and entering with 887.9 instances of burglary per 100,000 of the population in 2021.
Coming in second? Saskatchewan’s capital city Regina saw 1,113.5 offences reported per 100,000 people. The city had the highest number of arson cases compared to any other city in Canada, with 121.8 instances in 2021, more than four times the national average of 28 per 100,000. The city ranked third for the most robberies, and fourth for breaking and entering.
The list of the top ten most dangerous cities to live in Canada is as follows :
1. Lethbridge, Alberta — 1,190 offences per 100,000
2. Regina, Saskatchewan — 1,113.5 offences per 100,000
3. Moncton, New Brunswick — 1,085.3 offences per 100,000
4. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan — 1,043.1 offences per 100,000
5. Winnipeg, Manitoba — 1,040.7 offences per 100,000
6. Kelowna, B.C. — 1,007 offences per 100,000
7. Abbotsford-Mission, B.C. — 818.4 offences per 100,000
8. Greater Sudbury, Ontario — 779 offences per 100,000
9. Thunder Bay, Ontario — 775.2 offences per 100,000
10. Edmonton, Alberta — 757.9 offences per 100,000
When it came to the places with the least crime, Toronto topped the list, with just 286.9 offences per 100,000 people. Quebec snagged the second spot, with 301 crimes per 100,000, followed by Ottawa-Gatineau (318.8), Sherbrooke (327.4) and Barrie (333.9.)
METHODOLOGY
In order to determine the top ten safest and most dangerous areas in Canada to live in, Money.ca looked at Canadian cities with a population of 100,000 or more people and compiled crime statistics in those areas that are relevant to homeowners, including arson, robbery, impaired driving, and burglary. Using Canadian Crime Index data, the number of offences for each category in 2021 was calculated per 100,000 of the population and then ranked to create a top ten list of Canada’s safest and most dangerous areas to live in.
