Safest Cities in Canada

Canada is a beautiful country with rich traditions, delicious food and popular tourist attractions. Between the idyllic views at Banff National Park and the busy streets of downtown Toronto, Canada has lots to offer its citizens and travelers. When considering places to visit or reside, safety is the most important factor. Canada is home to some of the safest cities in the world. To protect themselves and their assets, many business people and homeowners use common sense measures—including home alarm systems. In this post, we’ll explore the most recent statistics and see where crime is lowest right now so you can feel secure and stay safe.

Canadian Crime Statistics: Where Does the Data Come From?

Statistics Canada serves as Canada’s guide to all statistics. Public access to this information is necessary, as it ensures that Canadians can make decisions based on the country’s economy, society and environment. The agency publishes year round data on incidences of crime across Canada each year. Data for 2020 was released in July 2021 and allows Canadian citizens to see crime statistics sorted by various categories and characteristics. We know this database can be hard to understand, so we have curated the most important information for easy access. Learn about the safest cities in Canada in an easy-to-read format right here. 

Crime Severity Index: How to Determine the Safest Cities in Canada 

While this tool may sound like it belongs on a crime-themed TV show, the Crime Severity Index is a real measurement used in Canada. The Crime Severity Index (CSI) is helpful for analyzing safety by city across the country. The measurement assesses the volume and severity of police-reported crime in Canada, and has a base index value of 100. The overall CSI for Canada in 2020 is 73.4. As a whole, Canadian cities are getting safer with a 7.9 percent change decrease from 2019. If you are interested in learning more about the most  dangerous provinces in Canada, you can read about it here. 

2020 Canadian Crime Statistics: Are Canadian Cities Getting Safer?

As stated in the previous section, there was a 7.9 percent decrease in the CSI between 2019 and 2020. As reported by Statistics Canada, “All measures of the CSI—the overall CSI, the Violent CSI and the Non-violent CSI—decreased for the first time after five years of increases.” What are some of the potential reasons for this decrease? Many attribute the 2020 decline to the pandemic, as shutdowns and quarantines kept more people at home and out of trouble. 

Low Crime Spots: Where are the Safest Cities in Canada?   

Although there are a few dangerous provinces in Canada, the good news is that there are many cities which have a low CSI. When analyzing data for 2020 across Canada, Québec, Quebec scored the lowest crime index with a measure of 42.09. Saguenay, Quebec ranked the second safest province (43.93) and Barrie, Ontario came in third place (44.93). Something interesting to note is that Barrie’s CSI score decreased by a 15.64 point index, respectively between 2019 and 2020. As the data releases for 2021, we will keep an eye out for how trends will continue to change as people reemerge into public life.  

Lowest Violent Crime Rates: Safest Canadian Cities

According to Statistics Canada, examples of violent crimes include uttering threats, criminal harassment and forcible confinement. By looking at the data for 2020, we see that the violent crime CSI falls at 87.03, which is higher than the collective CSI for the country. The safest cities in Canada, as ranked by the violent crime CSI, are Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario (55.66), Prince Edward Island (specific cities not available via database) (56.12), and St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario (56.61). Prince Edward Island and Manitoba had a decrease in the violent crime CSI by over 10 points on the index. To see how these cities compare to those with higher violent crime CSI’s, check out the most dangerous provinces in Canada. 

Non-Violent Crime Rates: Safest Canadian Cities

Non-violent crimes are defined by Statistics Canada as activities such as traffic, as well as drug violations and all Federal Statutes. Canada’s overall non-violent crime CSI falls at 63.38. The safest cities according to this category in 2020 are Québec, Quebec (36.68), Saguenay, Quebec (37.54), and Trois-Rivières, Quebec (38.16). These statistics again generally correlate with the overall safest cities as ranked by the generic CSI. Between 2019 and 2020, Alberta as a province experienced the greatest non-violent crime decrease at 13.7%. 

Overall Safest Province in Canada

After analyzing the data, it appears that the safest province as ranked by CSI, violent crime CSI, and non-violent crime CSI is Quebec. Québec, Saguenay, and Trois-Rivières all have drastically low CSI records compared to other cities. As the world reopens in 2021 and 2022, we may see crime rates increase. Regardless of where you are living in Canada, an ADT (now Telus) monitored alarm system from Alarm Guard will keep you feeling secure and protect your assets. Save now on your homeowner’s insurance with an ADT (now Telus) system!

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