THUNDER BAY—The rate of reported hate crimes in Thunder Bay is down sharply in the latest report on national crime rates published by Statistics Canada.
According to the agency's data, Thunder Bay's rate of police-reported hate-motivated incidents dropped to 8.3 per 100,000 population in 2016.
That left the city with the third-worse hate crime rate among the country's 33 largest population centres.
There were 10 reported incidents in 2016, compared with 27 incidents the year before, when Thunder Bay's hate crime rate of 22.3 per 100,000 population was the highest among the 33 cities.
Hamilton and Ottawa had the worst rates in Canada in 2016, at 12.5 and 9.5 incidents per 100,000 respectively.
The average hate crime rate that year for all 33 main population centres was 4.6 per 100,000.
Statistics Canada data shows significant fluctuations in reported hate crimes in Thunder Bay from year to year, but the most recently reported rate is by far the lowest in five years.
Police-reported hate crimes in Thunder Bay
| Year | Number | Rate per 100,000 pop. |
| 2016 | 10 | 8.3 |
| 2015 | 27 | 22.3 |
| 2014 | 16 | 13.2 |
| 2013 | 25 | 20.9 |
| 2012 | 20 | 16.6 |
A statement provided to Tbnewswatch by the Thunder Bay Police Service on Monday said "It would be pure speculation as to the reason for the variance between these years. We strongly encourage anyone who feels that they have been the victim of this type of crime to come forward. We will do everything we can to support victims of crimes which are hate motivated."
A hate crime awareness committee was introduced in the city in 2012, and a media campaign was developed to encourage the reporting of hate-motivated incidents in the community.
