THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay, on a per-capita basis, was the most violent city in Canada in 2024, according to a report released earlier this week by Statistics Canada.
The city posted a 206.31 violent crime severity index rate, more than double the national average of 99.87, in 2024, topping the list of 42 census metropolitan areas included in the survey.
The figure represents a 7.10 per cent increase over 2023, when it was 192.63, and the second time in three years Thunder Bay has topped 200.
Winnipeg took the runner-up position, with a 186.77 score. Chilliwack, B.C., at 172.48, was third and Saskatoon and Regina rounded out the top five, at 142.53 and 129.52, respectively.
Greater Sudbury was the next highest city in Ontario, recording an index score of 106.2.
Thunder Bay's census metropolitan area had eight murders in 2024, according to figures released on Tuesday.
The totals include a wide range of violent crimes, not just homicides, several of which were not previously included in the report – including uttering threats, criminal harassment and forcible confinement.
Thunder Bay’s percentage change was the sixth-highest in the nation, behind Guelph (18.07 per cent), St. Catharines-Niagara (13.99 per cent), Saguenay, Que. (12.02 per cent), Belleville-Quinte West (7.7 per cent) and Drummondville, Que. (7.58 per cent).
The city fared better, comparatively, in the non-violent crime category, where Thunder Bay placed 16th, with an index of 69.2, just below the Canadian average of 69.76. However, that represented an increase of 9.3 per cent over 2023, second behind Saint John, N.B., who saw its non-violent crime severity index rise by 12.36 per cent.
In the overall crime severity index rankings, Thunder Bay had the sixth highest total in the country, it’s 107.7 CSI coming in behind Chilliwack, B.C. (141.72), Kamloops, B.C. (129.97), Winnipeg (124.41), Red Deer, Alta. (118.65) and Kelowna (108.82).
Once again, the change from 2023 to 2024 was second in the nation, Thunder Bay’s 8.09 per cent CSI jump just behind Saint John’s 9.75 per cent. Nationwide, the overall CSI dropped on average by 4.08 per cent.
Barrie, Ont. had the country’s lowest violent crime severity index, at 58.38. It also had the lowest overall CSI, at 48.1. Sherbrooke, Que. had the lowest non-violent crime severity index, checking in at 42.95, well below the Canadian average of 69.76.
The crime severity index looks at the number and the relative severity of crime and is not intended to be used in isolation or as a universal indicator of an area's overall safety, according to Statistics Canada. It does not account for specific demographics of an area, noting that first Nations people, Metis and Inuit are historically overrepresented among victims of homicide, self-reported victims of violence and in the criminal justice system.
