What is the safest place to live in Ontario?

Are you thinking of moving to Canada? Ontario is one of its best provinces. It’s home to Toronto, the country’s economic capital. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  It’s also the second safest province in the country. So, what’s the safest place to live in Ontario?

LaSalle is the safest place in Ontario. This town of 30,000 inhabitants had the lowest Crime Severity Index in Canada in 2020. But there are other places in the province with crime rates far below the national average. They include King City, Markham, Guelph, Kingsville, Selwyn, Essex, and Petawawa.

However, Ontario doesn’t just boast of safety. It also has a high standard of living and a wonderful climate. No wonder it’s the most populous province in Canada, with over 14 million inhabitants. In this article, we discuss some of the safest cities in Ontario.

Safest Places to Live in Ontario

As the second safest province in Canada, many Ontario communities have low crime rates. But the ones below stand out as the best to live.

1.      LaSalle

According to Macleans, LaSalle was the safest city in Canada in 2020. It had a Crime Severity Index (CSI) of 14.65, and crime reduced by 4.7% in the past five years before that.

LaSalle is a truly excellent city and one of the best places you can live in Canada. Its violent crime rate is 62% below the national average, while property crime is 64% lower.

Without any doubt, the crime rate here is also lower than the average for Ontario.

Areavibes claim it’s safer than 92% of Canadian cities, and the chance of becoming a crime victim is 1 in 60. But it’s not just security that LaSalle offers.

Its livability score of 88/100 shows that this city is top tier. With only about 33,000 inhabitants, this town is one of the best places In Ontario and Canada.

It boasts of great weather, a family-friendly environment, and affordability. All the things that make a city attractive.

2.      King City

Areavibes rates King as the safest city in Ontario for 2021. Ontario’s crime data show that total crime and property crime are 70% below the Canadian average, while violent crime is 69% lower.

It was also one of the best 20 places to live in Canada back in 2018 because of its high median household income and low crime rate.

In addition, King is part of the York Region which Macleans considers one of the safest places to live in Ontario in 2020 as it had a CSI of 40.04, far below the national index of 75.

3.      Markham

Markham has one of the largest populations among cities in the Greater Toronto Area. It’s a lovely city located in Southern Ontario and has a population of over 350,000. The city is quite diverse, and it contains several corporate offices and industries. Its proximity to Toronto is one of the best things about the city, coupled with its modern amenities and great nightlife.

Another positive for the city is how safe its residents are. With an excellent livability score of 85%, safety is one factor that makes the city a great place to live. Crime rates are below the Ontario average by 9% and the national average by 32%.

Both property and violent crimes are very low here. Markham was ranked one of the safest cities in Canada for 2021.

4.      Kingsville

Here is another wonderful city to live in Canada. Its livability rating of 74 suggests that it’s not a bad place to stay. It has a lot of going for it, such as employment conditions, low cost of living, affordable housing, and great schools.

But it’s the safety of this city that makes it a delight of many. It was one of the safest cities in Canada, according to Macleans in 2020.

Kingsville has a population of over 20,000, and its total crime rate is 56% lower than the national average. Violent crimes and property crimes are 55% and 57% lower, respectively.

In 2020, it had a crime severity index (CSI) of 28.15 which is very low by any standard.

5.      Guelph

The university city of Guelph has always been one of the best places to live in Ontario. Also known as the Royal City, Guelph is known for its dynamic culture and limestone structure.

The standard of living here is also pretty high and for a city in Ontario, the cost of living here is low. As a result, it’s one of the few cities on this list with a livability score of 88/100.

Whatever your checklist for an ideal city might be, Guelph is likely to tick every box or most of the boxes. Employment conditions are great, homes are affordable, schools and educational standards are slightly above average, and amenities are excellent.

The crime rate here is also below the national average on all fronts. Property crimes are 14% lower, and violent crimes are lower by 10%. For a city with about 150,000 people, this is a great thing.

6.      Selwyn

Selwyn is one of the safest places to live in the whole of Canada. This town of about 17,000 people has a livability score of 76%, which is due to its several positive features.

But at the top of that positive feature is the crime rate in the city. The total crime rate in Selwyn is 73% lower than the national average, while violent crimes are 72% below.

All these make the chance of being a crime victim in Selwyn to be 1 in 65. Selwyn is safer than 90% of cities in Canada. In 2020, Selwyn was the fourth safest community in the country, with a CSI of 20.2.

7.      Petawawa

 This is the second safest community in Canada, according to Macleans’ data. Its CSI is 17.43, and it has seen a 19.79  decrease in crime over the past five years.  Petawawa has a population of around 16,000 and is part of the Ottawa area.

Total crimes are 66% lower than the national average, and the city is safer than 88% of Canadian cities. The chances of becoming a crime victim there are 1 in 70.

8.      Essex

This is another safe Ontario city. With its violent crimes and property crimes lower than Canada’s by 59% and 61%, respectively.

The CSI in 2020 was 24.35%, far below the Canadian average of 75, and it saw a 6.22% decrease in crime rate in the five years before 2020.

In Conclusion

There are several safe places in Ontario which show how safe the province itself is.

But Ontario isn’t just safe. It’s also a vibrant province with a high standard of living and great amenities. As a result, the province has the highest population and most opportunities in the country.

Recent Posts