Windsor trails Canadian large cities on crime safety ranking

Windsor ranks 23 out of 35 cities for safety, according to newly released data by Money.ca, based on specific property crimes and impaired driving conviction numbers from 2021.

When it comes to Canadian cities least likely to be affected by arson, robbery, impaired driving and burglary, the statistics show Windsor trailing larger cities like Toronto, Montreal and Hamilton.

Article content

Article content

Online money specialists Money.ca calculated the number of offences for each crime per 100,000 residents using Canadian Crime Index data for 2021 to generate a ranked list of Canada’s safest areas.

Toronto topped the list of 35 cities as the safest city per capita. London was No. 25 on the list.

“Looking at rates of arson, robbery, burglary, and driving under the influence in each area offers insights into the overall crime rates in Canadian cities that affect homeowners and families in particular,” a Money.ca spokesperson said in a news release.

“The rates of safety can affect housing prices and appeal of various areas when looking to move or raise a family, with investment from individuals and government bodies alike needed to ensure more comfortable living among neighbourhoods.”

Windsor’s break-and-enter numbers at 478; robbery cases of 48; 24 arsons and impaired driving offences of 95 led to a combined offences figure of 645 per 100,000 of the population.

London fared even worse, with a combined offences tally of 680.

Robbery cases were 70 in 2021; break-and-enters were 471; arson 31 and impaired driving 108, according to Money.ca, a financial platform that provides financial news, advice and tips on a broad range of topics, from personal finance and investing, to retirement planning and business finance.

Article content

“This study also highlights the areas where insurance premiums are perhaps lower, or residents may be less inclined to increase their insurance options to protect themselves from these occurrences,” the spokesperson said.

According to the data, Toronto is the safest place to live in Canada, with 287 combined offences per 100,000 people.

Toronto is the city least prone to breaking and entering, with 151 instances of burglary per 100,000 residents in 2021, and it’s also in the top ten Canadian cities least likely to experience arson and impaired driving offences.

Quebec City ranks second-safest, with 301 combined offences per 100,000 residents. The provincial capital had the lowest number of robbery cases, with 12 violations per 100,000 in 2021.

Lethbridge, AB, ranked at the bottom of the listing with 1,190 combined instances of arson, breaking and entering, robbery and impaired driving offences per 100,000 residents.

Windsor Police Service officials were unable to comment on the data when contacted by the Star on Wednesday, saying only that 2023 stats will be released in a couple of weeks, once the Windsor Police Service Board has received them.

Article content

jkotsis@postmedia.com

twitter.com/KotsisStar

Money.ca ranks 35 safest cities 

(Combined offences of arson, breaking and entering, robbery and impaired driving per 100,000 of population in 2021)

1. Toronto – 286.9
2. Quebec, QC – 301
3. Ottawa-Gatineau, QC – 318.8
4. Sherbrooke, QC – 327.4
5. Ottawa-Gatineau – 333.9
6. Montreal – 356.7
7. Barrie, ON – 356.7
8. Trois-Rivières, QC – 366.2
9. Saguenay, QU – 396.3
10. Hamilton – 420.6
11. Saint John, NB – 423.4
12. Halifax, NS – 447.6
13. Belleville, ON – 450.8
14. Peterborough, ON – 496.2
15. Guelph – 500.6
16. St. Catharines-Niagara – 529.5
17. Kingston, ON – 557.4
18. Calgary, AB – 573.3
19. Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo – 596.2
20. Victoria, BC – 604.9
21. Brantford, ON – 613.5
22. St. John’s, NL – 614.9
23. Windsor – 644.5
24. Vancouver, BC – 657.8
25. London – 679.7
26. Edmonton, AB – 757.9
27. Thunder Bay, ON – 775.2
28. Greater Sudbury, ON – 779
29. Abbotsford-Mission, BC – 818.4
30. Kelowna, BC – 1,007
31. Winnipeg, MB – 1,040
32. Saskatoon, SK – 1,043.1
33. Moncton, NB – 1,085.3
34. Regina, SK – 1,113.5
35. Lethbridge, AB – 1,190

Article content