Among Canada’s five largest metropolitan areas, Calgary has the highest violent crime rate (population-adjusted) while Vancouver the highest rate of property crime while Winnipeg is the nation’s most-dangerous city when it comes to violent crime. This is from the latest chapter that is part of a larger study by the Fraser Institute.

Author Livio Di Matteo, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute examined Maximum Violent Crime Rate per 100,000 from 2019 to 2022 which shows Winnipeg at the highest end with 675 per 100,000, followed by Thunder Bay at 546, Regina at 472 and Saskatoon at 413 rounding out the top four. According to the study these four cities constitute approximately the top ten percent of Canadian CMAs by violent crime rate.

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

Calgary ranked 11th 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 16th, Montreal ranked 18th and Toronto ranked 24th out of 36 urban areas.

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

Lethbridge 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. Regina ranked third and Saskatoon 10th.