Ask most people about Canada’s most dangerous areas, and they’ll probably tell you to avoid Toronto’s Jane and Finch, Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, or Halifax’s Uniacke Square.
However, it’s North Battleford, Saskatchewan that they should really warn you about.
According to Statistics Canada’s Crime Severity Index (CSI), North Battleford – a city of 13,000 people – is the most dangerous city in the country. The CSI measures all police-reported crime and takes into consideration both the volume and seriousness of offences.
Maclean’s used this data to compile its Canada’s Most Dangerous Places 2018 ranking. The list is littered with communities you’ve probably never heard of. Thompson, Manitoba, for example, is Canada’s second-most dangerous city, followed by Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
And it’s not just because one misdeed in a small town skews the crime rate.
“Smaller communities tend to be more susceptible to inflated crime rates, with one or two incidents getting magnified when they are recast for a population of 100,000,” writes Macleans in an explanation about the ranking. “For this reason, Maclean’s ranks cities based on the crime severity index. While the crime rate in North Battleford is sky high, it’s the severity of the crimes that’s truly alarming.” (25 firearm violations, 248 impaired driving violations, and 1,192 acts of disturbing the peace in 2016).
The first major city to appear on the list is Regina, at number 20. Vancouver ranked 35th, Montreal ranked 97th, and Toronto ranked 124th.
Some interesting points to consider:
- – The first Quebec city on the list is Montreal, at 97
– Woodstock, Ontario ranks 57th in overall crime, but is 2nd in homicide rate
– Saskatchewan has three cities in the top 10 for drunk driving, including the top two cities
– Yorkton, Saskatchewan has the country’s highest sexual assault rate, almost six times the national average
– Across the country, crime severity is down 30 basis points since 2006
Stay safe out there.