Statistics Canada maintains its nationwide database on the incidence and severity of crime in the country, known as the Crime Severity Index (CSI).
The CSI, unlike a traditional crime rate (which only counts the number of crimes), also uses police data to consider the seriousness of each crime—providing a more nuanced view of crime levels. To make the Index easier to interpret, scores are standardized to “100”(in a system similar to the Consumer Price Index), using 2006 as a base year. More serious crimes are assigned higher weightages, and thus impact the overall index score more, while less serious crimes are weighted less.
Newcomers to Canada can use the CSI to inform their decision on where to live, but it is essential to consider it along with other factors. The CSI should not be viewed in isolation, or as a definitive measure of an area’s safety. Instead, it should be part of a broader analysis that includes the conventional crime rate, community safety data, demographic information, economic conditions, employment opportunities, income levels, housing conditions, etc.
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What are the safest areas in Canada, according to the CSI?
Averaging the data from 2019-2023, we can see that the cities that have scored the best in terms of all reported crime include:
- Quebec City, Quebec, Overall CSI Score: 45.73;
- Barrie, Ontario, Overall CSI Score: 47.71;
- Toronto, Ontario, Overall CSI Score: 51.54;
- Ottawa, Gatineau, All Parts, Overall CSI Score: 55.59;
- Hamilton, Ontario, Overall CSI Score: 57.74;
- St. Catherine’s, Niagara, Ontario, Overall CSI Score: 58.94;
- Montréal, Quebec, Overall CSI Score: 59.98;
- Halifax, Nova Scotia, Overall CSI Score: 66.92;
- Kingston, Ontario, Overall CSI Score: 70.92;
- St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Overall CSI Score: 72.92;
- London, Ontario, Overall CSI Score: 73.71;
- Victoria, British Columbia, Overall CSI Score: 75.40;
- Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario, Overall CSI Score: 75.94;
- Brantford, Ontario, Overall CSI Score: 77.09;
- Calgary, Alberta, Overall CSI Score: 79.79;
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Overall CSI Score: 90.74;
- Edmonton, Alberta, Overall CSI Score: 105.16;
- Regina, Saskatchewan, Overall CSI Score: 113.18;
- Saskatoon Saskatchewan, Overall CSI Score: 114.85;
- Kelowna, British Columbia, Overall CSI Score: 120.51; and
- Winnipeg, Manitoba, Overall CSI Score: 125.82.
For provinces where CMAs were not measured under the CSI, the following data is available:
- Prince Edward Island, Overall CSI Score: 62.59;
- New Brunswick, Overall CSI Score: 84.94;
- Yukon, Overall CSI Score: 215.87;
- Nunavut, Overall CSI score: 390.66; and
- Northwest Territories, Overall CSI score: 427.88.
What does the CSI measure?
The Crime Severity Index (CSI) measures changes in the level of severity of crime in Canada on a yearly basis. Each crime is assigned a weight based on its seriousness, which is determined by the actual sentences handed down by courts across all provinces and territories. More serious crimes receive higher weights, which means they have a more significant impact on the index, while less serious offences receive lower weights.
The CSI can be further broken down into two main categories: the Violent Crime Severity Index and the Non-Violent Crime Severity Index.
- The Violent Crime Severity Index: includes all violent violations reported in the Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR2). Examples include uttering threats, criminal harassment, and forcible confinement; while
- The Non-Violent Crime Severity Index: encompasses all non-violent Criminal Code violations, including traffic offences, drug violations, and violations of all Federal Statutes.
Note: The CSI primarily considers crimes in Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) in Canada. A CMA is formed by one or more adjacent municipalities around a population center (known as the core). A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the core.
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