Fraser Institute News Release: Winnipeg most-dangerous city nationwide; Calgary has highest violent crime rate and Vancouver has highest property crime rate among Canada's five largest metro areas

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 13, 2025 /CNW/ - Among Canada's five largest metropolitan areas, Calgary has the highest violent crime rate (population-adjusted) while Vancouver the highest rate of property crime, however Winnipeg is the nation's most-dangerous city when it comes to violent crime, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

"When it comes to Canada's five largest cities, Calgary and Vancouver have the distinction of comparatively higher rates of violent and property crime, respectively, compared to the country's other major metro areas," said Livio Di Matteo, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of Comparing Recent Crime Trends in Canada and the US: Urban Areas.

The chapter released today, part of a larger upcoming study examining crime rates between the two countries, focuses on the rankings of large urban areas—known as Census Metropolitan Areas—of 100,000 people or more.

Nationwide, using the maximum annual crime rate from 2019 to 2022 (the most recent years of comparable date), Winnipeg had the highest violent crime rate at 675 crimes per 100,000. That's more than twice the national average of 262. Violent crimes include murder, robbery, and assault with a weapon.

Calgary ranked 11^th out of 36 Canadian urban areas in violent crime and was the highest ranked of Canada's five largest cities. On violent crimes, Vancouver ranked 16^th, Montreal ranked 18^th and Toronto ranked 24^th out of 36 urban areas.

On property crimes (e.g., burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft), Vancouver ranked highest of the four largest cities at 6^th nationwide, followed by Calgary (7^th), Toronto (27^th) and Montreal (30^th).

Lethbridge, AB had the highest rate of property crime nationwide at 5,521 crimes per 100,000, which is more than twice the national average of urban areas at 2,513.

"Crime rates in Canadian cities, while still historically low, are on the rise and should be of greater concern for both citizens and policymakers," Di Matteo said.

Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter  |  Like us on Facebook

The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org

SOURCE The Fraser Institute

MEDIA CONTACT: Livio Di Matteo, Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute. To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact: Drue MacPherson, Media Relations Coordinator, 604-688-0221 ext. 721, [email protected]