Maclean's third annual crime survey shows an epidemic of violence in the North, gang-plagued cities in the West and relative safety in Ontario and Quebec
PLUS:
• Are we raising our boys to be underachieving men?
• Why reality TV is a sham-and duping us in ways we don't even know
TORONTO, Oct. 14 /CNW/ - It's a sad fact and a shameful reflection on Canada: in 2009, the North had the nation's worst ranking on crime. A complex combination of social problems, unemployment, sexual and physical abuse and drug and alcohol abuse are among the likely contributors—but no easy solutions are at hand.
In this, our third annual "Most Dangerous Cities" report, Maclean's used the Statistics Canada's Crime Severity Index and also tracked trends by commissioning from StatsCan a run of six indicator crime statistics—homicide, sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery, breaking and entering and auto theft. Almost invariably, the North turned up as the most dangerous part of the country.
The results also showed the Canadian West has a crime problem, as entrenched, if not as extreme, as that in Canada's North. Prince George, B.C., for example, finished with the highest crime score among Canada's 100 largest cities. Victoria, the scenic provincial capital with a dark underbelly, was a close second. Of the 14 cities with the worst crimes scores, none are east of Winnipeg. Half of the top 14 cities are in British Columbia, though it is also the province that recorded a nine per cent drop in crime severity. Saskatchewan, followed by Manitoba, have the worst provincial crime scores.
The good the bad and the ugly: Canada's 5 most/least crime-ridden cities
HIGHEST CRIME RATES
(Percentage above the national crime score)
Prince George, B.C. (90%)
Victoria (81%)
Regina (73%)
Saskatoon (69%)
Fort McMurray, Alta. (68%)
LOWEST CRIME RATES
(Percentage below the national crime score)
Caledon, Ont. (70%)
Wellington County, Ont. (58)
Halton Region, Ont. (58)
Lévis, Que. (51)
Nottawasaga, Ont. (50)
For breakdown by province and by different crimes, pick up the latest issue of Maclean's today or go to http://www.macleans.ca.
How our boys are turning into underachieving men
In grade school, boys earn lower marks, study less and are more likely to repeat a grade. In high school, they're much more likely than girls to drop out. And fewer men than women graduate university. In the workforce, men now have a higher rate of unemployment than women. How did we get here? What effect have changing gender roles had on men? And what are the social and economic consequences of letting boys fall behind?
Why reality TV is a sham—and duping us in ways we don't even know
There's very little real about reality TV. Most viewers don't have a clue about how it's scripted and edited. Or that ratings have very little to do with why it's proliferating and getting more extreme: it's all a numbers game. Reality TV is 75 per cent cheaper than quality scripted programs; but the big money is in product placement by advertisers who often control casting, scripting and show outcomes. And that results in pernicious stereotypes that turn the clock back 50 years.
Senior writer Anne Kingston talks to Jennifer Pozner, the director of Women In Media & News in New York City, about Pozner's new book Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV.
About Maclean's:
Maclean's is Canada's only national weekly current affairs magazine. Maclean's enlightens, engages and entertains 2.4 million readers with strong investigative reporting and exclusive stories from leading journalists in the fields of international affairs, social issues, national politics, business and culture. Visit www.macleans.ca
For further information:
Louise Leger
416-764-4125
[email protected]
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