When people think of Canada, the danger of living there is hardly an issue. After all, it’s ranked as the 6th safest country globally, which is not surprising considering its high quality of life and friendly residents. But even a haven can have its danger zones. So what is the most dangerous province in Canada?
The crime rate in Canada varies between its provinces, with some having a much higher crime rate than others. Of the ten provinces in Canada, Saskatchewan occupies the undesirable spot as the most dangerous province to live in the country. This is thanks to its Crime Severity Index of 148.18.
However, it’s necessary to fully understand what makes Saskatchewan the most dangerous province. As such, in this article, we explore the most dangerous province in Canada and what makes it so.
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What Is the Most Dangerous Province in Canada?
Of the ten provinces in Canada, Saskatchewan is the most dangerous. While it’s still behind the other territories, its rate of 2,249.11 violent crimes per 100,000 people is enough to make it more dangerous than the other nine provinces.
Why Is Saskatchewan the Most Dangerous Province?
Saskatchewan comes out top as the most dangerous province due to the following reasons
1. High Crime Rate
The crime rate determines how dangerous a place is, and the Crime Severity Index (CSI) measures it. CSI factors in all police-reported crimes and considers their volume and seriousness. While the CSI score for Canada is 79.45, Saskatchewan has a 148.18 CSI score, showing that it’s higher than the national average.
In terms of violent crimes, Canada has a Violent Crime Severity Index (VSCI) score of 89.67, but that of Saskatchewan is 170.97. Non-violent crimes in the province have a score of 139.63, while youth crime is 109.54. To cap it all, while the national homicide rate is 1.8 for every 100,000, Saskatchewan’s rate is 4.68, with 55 homicides in 2019 alone.
2. Rise in Crime
Another major factor that makes Saskatchewan so dangerous is that crime rates seem to be increasing yearly. Even worse, it’s rising at a faster rate than the national average. For instance, while the overall crime rate throughout the whole country increased by 5.05%, that of the province increased by 5.40%.
It even gets worse when we look at violent crimes specifically. While it has increased by 7.30% in the country, it increased by 21.21% in Saskatchewan. The only crime where the province is doing better than the national average is in the youth non-violent crimes, which has decreased by 11% nationally but 14.70% in Saskatchewan.
The rise in crime rate is best captured by the 55 homicides in the province in 2019 compared to 34 in 2018. It’s the highest increase in the country, attributable to increased gang violence and homicides.
3. High Number of Dangerous Cities
Several cities in Saskatchewan rank high on the list of most dangerous cities in the country. The crime rate in all these cities combines to make the province the most dangerous.
For instance, North Battleford has a CSI of 351 and is the second most dangerous place in the country.
This is not the only top-ranking Saskatchewan city. Others such as Prince Albert and area, Yorkton, Saskatoon, and Regina and area are all in the country’s top 30 most dangerous cities.
Most Dangerous Cities in Saskatchewan
Here’s a list of some of the most dangerous cities in Saskatchewan.
1. North Battleford
This city of only 14,439 inhabitants has the highest CSI for all cities in Canada, with 385, while the national average is 79.45. In terms of violent crime, it has a VSCI of 362 compared to the national average of 82.44. Out of the 237 cities ranked, it’s the second most dangerous city, second to Thompson, Manitoba.
Common crimes in this city include assaults, breaking and entering, fraud, drug offenses, firearms offenses, impaired driving, and robbery.
2. Prince Albert and Area
Prince Albert and area is the second most dangerous place in Saskatchewan. With a CSI of 238 and VCSI of 289, it’s number 4 on the list of most dangerous places in the country. In the past five years, the crime rate has increased here by 43.84%. In 2019, it had two homicides at a rate of 5.32 per 100,000 people.
Crimes such as assault, sexual assault, and robbery have been on the rise. On the other hand, crimes like fires offenses, breaking and entering, cocaine production or trafficking, and youth crime have been reducing. Breaking and entering appear to be the most common crime here, with 584 actual incidents happening in 2019.
3. Yorkton
The number 15 on the list of most dangerous places in Canada is Yorkton, with 16,673 people. The CSI is 151, and the VCSI is 156. While the increase in crime rate is not as high as those of the other two cities, it’s still high at 17.65 in the last five years.
Fraud and impaired driving are the most common crimes here, with 124 and 132 incidents in 2019. Other prevalent crimes include assaults, sexual assaults, robbery, and drug offenses.
4. Saskatoon
It’s one of the biggest cities in the province and also one of the most dangerous. Saskatoon has a population of 268,188, a CSI of 133, and a VSCI of 126.
The crime rate has been steadily increasing here, with a 20.77% increase in CSI from 2013. It’s ranked 23 in terms of all crimes, and for violent crimes, it ranks 27 of the 237 cities.
This city has the third-highest VCIS among metropolitan areas.
Homicides are on the rise here, with a 2.98 per 100,000 population. In addition, 2,590 breaking and entering incidents happened here in 2019, and so did 348 robberies.
While these numbers are high, when you factor in the population, it becomes clear why it’s only the fourth among the most dangerous cities in the province.
Other prevalent crimes here include assaults, firearm offenses, sexual assaults, and impaired driving.
4. Regina and Area
Last on the list is the capital city of Saskatchewan and its biggest city with a population of 233,170. It has a CSI score of 132, a 21.58% increase from 2013, and a VCSI of 123, making it the 28th most dangerous place in Canada.
In 2019, it recorded five homicides, 1,288 assaults, 190 sexual assaults, 68 firearms offenses, 273 robberies, and 2,156 breaking and entering incidents.
Generally, there has been a steady increase in the rate of these crimes in the city. As a result, Regina is number four on the list of metropolitan areas with high VCIS.
The Bottom Line
The high rates of violent crimes in various cities in Saskatchewan, especially its two metropolitan areas, contribute significantly to the dangers of the province. However, despite the seemingly high crime rate of the province, Canada is a relatively safe place, and there are still several places in Saskatchewan with very low crime rates.