Quick answer
On Statistics Canada's Crime Severity Index for 2025, the cities with the least serious police-reported crime were Barrie (46.9), Saguenay (49.3), Sherbrooke (50.3) and Ottawa (50.6). Among the biggest cities, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto and Québec City scored lowest, all about 55 or below.
The highest scores were in Chilliwack (134.3), Kamloops (126.2), Red Deer (114.4), Thunder Bay (114.1) and Winnipeg (113.4). Canada as a whole was 75.0, down 5% from 2024 and the second yearly decline in a row.
A city-wide index hides big differences between neighbourhoods, so use it to compare cities, not streets.
The 12 largest cities compared
| City (census metropolitan area) | Crime Severity Index 2025 | Change from 2024 | Crimes per 100,000 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | 50.6 | -6% | 4,212 |
| Hamilton | 54.8 | -7% | 4,076 |
| Toronto | 55.0 | -7% | 3,950 |
| Québec City | 55.0 | -1% | 3,493 |
| Montréal | 61.3 | -5% | 3,641 |
| Calgary | 61.7 | -3% | 5,038 |
| London | 66.0 | +8% | 5,059 |
| KitchenerâCambridgeâWaterloo | 66.8 | -9% | 5,083 |
| Halifax | 68.6 | -6% | 6,094 |
| Vancouver | 83.5 | +1% | 5,672 |
| Edmonton | 95.6 | -7% | 7,463 |
| Winnipeg | 113.4 | -9% | 7,899 |
Toronto, with the largest population, has one of the lowest crime rates per person of any big Canadian city. Winnipeg and Edmonton score highest of the large cities, though Winnipeg's index fell 9% in 2025.
All 41 cities ranked, lowest to highest
Statistics Canada Table 4, released July 22, 2026. Oshawa is not published because its police boundaries do not match the metropolitan area. Ottawa and Gatineau are the Ontario and Quebec parts of one metropolitan area.
| Rank | City | Prov. | CSI 2025 | Change | Crimes per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barrie | ON | 46.9 | -3% | 3,777 |
| 2 | Saguenay | QC | 49.3 | -13% | 2,973 |
| 3 | Sherbrooke | QC | 50.3 | -7% | 3,134 |
| 4 | Ottawa | ON | 50.6 | -6% | 4,212 |
| 5 | St. CatharinesâNiagara | ON | 53.8 | -9% | 4,139 |
| 6 | Hamilton | ON | 54.8 | -7% | 4,076 |
| 7 | Québec City | QC | 55.0 | -1% | 3,493 |
| 8 | Toronto | ON | 55.0 | -7% | 3,950 |
| 9 | Windsor | ON | 55.4 | -12% | 4,203 |
| 10 | Trois-RiviĂšres | QC | 56.0 | -10% | 3,417 |
| 11 | Peterborough | ON | 57.3 | -6% | 5,385 |
| 12 | Guelph | ON | 57.8 | +2% | 4,288 |
| 13 | Gatineau | QC | 60.6 | -2% | 3,700 |
| 14 | Montréal | QC | 61.3 | -5% | 3,641 |
| 15 | Kingston | ON | 61.5 | +1% | 5,005 |
| 16 | Calgary | AB | 61.7 | -3% | 5,038 |
| 17 | BellevilleâQuinte West | ON | 63.1 | -3% | 4,920 |
| 18 | Greater Sudbury | ON | 64.9 | -2% | 4,706 |
| 19 | London | ON | 66.0 | +8% | 5,059 |
| 20 | KitchenerâCambridgeâWaterloo | ON | 66.8 | -9% | 5,083 |
| 21 | Halifax | NS | 68.6 | -6% | 6,094 |
| 22 | Saint John | NB | 70.0 | +20% | 4,556 |
| 23 | Brantford | ON | 72.1 | +8% | 5,381 |
| 24 | Drummondville | QC | 72.3 | +4% | 4,084 |
| 25 | Victoria | BC | 74.6 | +5% | 5,588 |
| 26 | St. John's | NL | 79.2 | -2% | 6,163 |
| 27 | Fredericton | NB | 80.5 | +7% | 5,734 |
| 28 | Vancouver | BC | 83.5 | +1% | 5,672 |
| 29 | Regina | SK | 87.4 | -12% | 6,543 |
| 30 | AbbotsfordâMission | BC | 95.5 | -1% | 6,717 |
| 31 | Edmonton | AB | 95.6 | -7% | 7,463 |
| 32 | Saskatoon | SK | 98.9 | -7% | 7,532 |
| 33 | Kelowna | BC | 103.7 | -4% | 8,688 |
| 34 | Moncton | NB | 105.6 | +11% | 7,561 |
| 35 | Nanaimo | BC | 106.0 | -1% | 9,648 |
| 36 | Lethbridge | AB | 107.7 | +2% | 8,335 |
| 37 | Winnipeg | MB | 113.4 | -9% | 7,899 |
| 38 | Thunder Bay | ON | 114.1 | +3% | 8,373 |
| 39 | Red Deer | AB | 114.4 | -3% | 10,592 |
| 40 | Kamloops | BC | 126.2 | -4% | 10,949 |
| 41 | Chilliwack | BC | 134.3 | -4% | 11,455 |
By province and territory
| Province or territory | CSI 2025 | Change from 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 57.2 | -6.2% |
| Quebec | 61.6 | -5.1% |
| Prince Edward Island | 68.4 | -5.8% |
| Nova Scotia | 73.0 | -3.3% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 88.7 | -3.6% |
| New Brunswick | 90.4 | +5.6% |
| Alberta | 90.6 | -6.6% |
| British Columbia | 92.4 | -1.6% |
| Manitoba | 130.0 | -8.8% |
| Saskatchewan | 146.6 | -5.0% |
| Yukon | 195.4 | -6.1% |
| Nunavut | 461.2 | +9.5% |
| Northwest Territories | 485.9 | -7.5% |
Ontario and Quebec have the lowest provincial indexes; Saskatchewan and Manitoba the highest among the provinces. New Brunswick was the only province where the index rose in 2025.
What the Crime Severity Index measures
- It weighs crimes by seriousness. Each offence counts according to the sentences courts typically hand down for it, so one robbery moves the index more than several thefts. A count of crimes per person, the crime rate, is shown alongside.
- 100 = Canada in 2006. A city at 50 has about half the severity-weighted crime per person that Canada had in 2006.
- It is police-reported. Crimes not reported to police are not counted, and reporting habits differ between places.
- Small cities swing more. A few serious incidents can move a city of 100,000 by 10% or more in a year (Saint John rose 20% in 2025).
- Violent crime is a separate index. Canada's violent crime index was 97.2 in 2025, down 4%. City figures are in Statistics Canada table 35-10-0026-01.
What the numbers feel like on the ground
Notes from our editor's own visits, not data: in Winnipeg, some coffee shops, including a Tim Hortons, had a security guard at the door, which you rarely see in Toronto. Walking around downtown Toronto felt ordinary for a large city. These are single impressions; the tables above are the better guide.
Using this when you choose where to live
- Compare like with like: a large city's index averages safe suburbs and rougher downtown blocks. Look at your city police service's neighbourhood crime map before choosing a street; for Toronto, see our map of safe and affordable neighbourhoods.
- Look at the trend: a city that has fallen for several years is in a different place from one rising quickly, even at the same level.
- Weigh it with cost: some of the lowest-crime cities (Barrie, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Québec City) are also cheaper than Toronto or Vancouver. See cheapest cities for families and rent by city.