A new report ranking the safest versus most dangerous cities in Canada gave the lowest overall safety scores to Winnipeg, Manitoba, followed by Kelowna, B.C.; Thunder Bay, Ontario; and Halifax Nova Scotia. The highest overall safety scores went to four Ontario cities: Barrie, Brantford, Guelph, and Toronto.
The research considered five factors in assessing the overall security and well-being of a community: the crime severity index, the violent crime severity index, the non-violent crime severity indexes, the number of citizens per police officer, and the crime-solving rate.
Only cities with data on all of the indicators were included in the analysis, with each city given a score on the scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the best score, or the greatest safety.
Barrie took first place, with a total score of 7.13 out of 10, followed by Brantford (7.00), Guelph (6.84), and Toronto (6.63).
Winnipeg, the least safe city on the list, came in with a score of 4.59. Only slightly better were Kelowna (4.65), Thunder Bay (4.98), and Halifax (5.04).
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which ranked 29th, received a middle-of-the-road score at 5.30, while Trois-Rivières, Quebec, which ranked 28th, scored at 5.48.
“Safety and security are crucial elements for thriving communities in any country. They foster trust, well-being, and a sense of belonging among residents,” Rentola said in an introduction to the results.
“By prioritizing safety measures, such as well-equipped police forces, efficient emergency response systems, and community engagement initiatives, neighbourhoods become more resilient and enjoyable places to live.”
Crime Severity
Barrie and Toronto, besides being among the top four safest cities overall, were among the top three safest cities when it came to serious crime. In the crime severity index, looking at frequency of offences and their corresponding levels of seriousness, Québec City ranked in top place at 10, followed by Toronto at 9.70 and Barrie at 9.65.Regina, Saskatchewan, ranked the safest in terms of the number of citizens per police officer, with a score of 10. It was followed by Lethrbidge, Alberta, which had a score of 8.94 in that indicator category.
Lethbridge came in as the ninth safest city in Canada overall (overall score of 6.37), while Québec City was in 11th place (slightly lower overall score of 6.29).
“Curiously enough, despite Lethbridge having the highest crime rate among all Canadian metropolitan areas [score of 1.00 on the crime severity index], the majority of the offences perpetrated are classified as non-violent [score of 10.00 on the non-violent crime severity index],” indicated Rentola.
“Furthermore, Lethbridge maintains a sufficient number of police officers to ensure a high rate of crime detection. Consequently, in certain respects, Lethbridge can be considered a lot safer than Québec City.”
The way Rentola ranked cities also gave Quebec City a low crime rate (10.00 on the crime severity index) despite it having a low score (4.47) for the number of citizens per police officer.
“Québec City exhibits the lowest crime rate. However, it is noteworthy that a significant portion of the crimes committed within the area are of a violent nature, and the ratio of its police force to the area’s population remains relatively small. Therefore, when compared to Lethbridge, which possesses the highest crime index, Québec City appears less secure,” said Rentola.
Vancouver, with a score of 5.81 on the overall index, took 18th place out of 34 on the safest cities list, and scored 7.95 on the violent crime severity index.
Based on the data, said Rentola, “Ontario stands as the safest province for individuals seeking a new place for relocation or those planning a trip.”
