Canada excels or many excellent qualities that make this wonderful country one of the best places to live in the world. Regardless, it has its fair share of violence and crime, with these occurrences predominant in some parts of the country than others. So, what is the most dangerous city in Canada?
Based on Crime Severity Index (CSI), crime has been on the rise in Canada for the past five years. This is due to non-violent crimes such as child pornography, verbal threats, and shoplifting. But violent crimes are still plenty, and Thompson, Manitoba tops the list of cities where it’s predominant.
Still, you need to understand the nature of crimes common in this city to know the security issues you might face. As such, in this article, we answer the question, what is the most dangerous city in Canada.
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What Is the Most Dangerous City in Canada?
Thompson, Manitoba, comes off as the Hub of the north. It’s one of Manitoba’s biggest cities and the largest in the province’s northern region, with just over 14,000 residents despite its large size. So naturally, you expect a peaceful and quiet city for a town with such a small population.
Unfortunately, Thompson is far from that. For the past three years, this city ranks as the most violent in the country. It has been able to maintain this undesirable position because of the violent crimes within it. While it has a CSI of 366, which makes it second to North Battleford, Saskatchewan in terms of overall crimes, its Violent Crime Severity Index (VCSI) is 570, far ahead of second-place North Battleford at 362 and almost seven times the national average, which is 82.44.
In the past five years, there has been a 111.08% increase in crime in the city, the third-highest jump in the whole country. This shows that crime is increasing at a fast and steady rate in the city. In terms of violent crimes, certain crimes are more prevalent in Thompson, Manitoba. With these crimes, Thompson scores well above the national average for those crimes.
Common Crimes in Thompson, Manitoba
Here’s a list of predominant crimes in Thompson, Manitoba.
1. Homicide, Assaults, and Bodily Harm
Thompson ranks high when it comes to violent crimes against persons. In 2019, it had a homicide rate of 21.21 per 100,000 people compared to the national average of 1.76. In addition, the assault rate was 6,538.95 per 100,000, while the national average was 457.01.
In terms of sexual assault, the rate was 339.32 per 100,000 people, while the national average was 75.89. The firearms incident rate was also higher than the national average at 35.35 per 100,000 people compared to 7.58.
2. Theft and Property Crime
It’s not only people that are not safe in Thompson; even properties are in danger of being stolen. The robbery rate was 233.28 per 100,000 people, almost four times the national average of 60.58. Breaking and entering also remain prevalent at a rate of 749.33 per 100,000 people, nearly twice the Canadian average of 431.24.
3. Drug-Related Offences
The prevalence of drug-related offenses in Thompson is almost at an epidemic level. The rate of impaired driving is over five times the national average at 1,095.72 per 100,000 people. This means the chances of getting hit by a driver under the influence of drugs are very high.
Cannabis production and trafficking rate are equally high at 127.24 compared with the national average of 22.5. However, where the largest disparity between the national average and that of Thompson exists is in the rate of cocaine trafficking and production, the rate is over 32 times higher for Thompson at 650.36 per 100,000 people. In Thompson, Manitoba, youth crime is equally high, the highest rate of any city in the country with 445.36 per 100,000 people compared to the national average of 13.01.
Causes of Violent Crimes in Thompson
Various factors are closely related to the presence of violent crimes in Thompson, Manitoba, and they include:
1. Increase in Youth Crimes
Many of the violent crimes in this city involve stabbing, gun violence, and assaults. In several cases, these attacks involve young persons, with some even considered gang-related. For instance, the security forces have arrested suspects as young as 12 years to investigate cases of stabbing. In addition, there are speculations some of the attacks are gang initiations.
As an urban center, the city has also received a sizable amount of youth from other communities. This transient population, many residents believe, is also responsible for the increase in crime rates in the city, especially when it comes to the attack of vulnerable people in the city.
2. Poverty
Poverty is a significant problem in the Manitoba province as it has the highest rate of child poverty in Canada. As one of the major cities in the province, Thompson is greatly affected by this poverty. In turn, this leads to an increasing number of homeless people who are now vulnerable to attacks.
Worse, poverty is great motivation for crimes, drugs, and violence. The same thing applies in Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, where drugs and violence issues are also on a high.
Will Violent Crimes Reduce In Thompson?
Unfortunately, these are not the only two factors responsible for increasing crime and violence in the city. It’s a combination of social, economic, and political factors that has increased the violent criminal activities in Thompson. Disturbingly, the factors responsible for these crimes are deeply rooted, and it will take more than mere policing to curb them. As such, there is an upward trend in violent crimes in Thompson, Manitoba and the likelihood of change anytime soon is not certain.
The Bottom Line
The violent crime rate of Thompson is what makes it the most dangerous city in Canada. Compared to the national average, they are quite disturbing. But they do not reflect the true state of things in the whole country. The crime rates of this city only show that every country has its violence hotspot. In general, Canada is still one of the safest countries on earth and one of the best places to live in the world. But you have to choose the right place to live within it. Advisably that shouldn’t be Thompson, Manitoba, in the meantime.