Most dangerous cities ranked in Canada; 2 Ontario communities in top 10

The most dangerous cities in Canada have been ranked based on home invasions per person and most are outside Ontario.

Cities in southern Ontario appear to have more break-and-enter incidents reported recently — particularly violent home invasions associated with car thefts in Mississauga and Brampton.

Larger cities do have more crimes but when comparing the population to the number of crimes, a new study from heating and cooling company Handy Bros. reveals that western Canada has higher rates of home burglaries.

Winnipeg, with a population of just under 750,000 people, tops the list.

The were 811 burglary incidents per 100,000 people in Winnipeg in 2022, according to the study, which used the latest Statistics Canada data. There were 6,914 break-and-enter incidents reported in Winnipeg in 2022 and 52 were unfounded.

In comparison, Toronto had 10,697 incidents but because of the population size, that amounts to 162 recorded incidents per 100,000 residents. Barrie had 389 reported break-and-enters in 2022 or 143 incidents per 100,000 people.

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“To put that into perspective, Winnipeg residents are experiencing 467% more burglary incidents compared to Barrie, which has the lowest burglary incident rate,” the study notes.

Unfortunately, the Statistics Canada data doesn’t include breakdowns for GTA cities such as Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville and Burlington.

Alberta takes three positions in the top 10 burglary hotspots, with Lethbridge ranking second with a rate of 764 recorded incidents per 100,000 residents.

Saskatoon is next on the list, ranking third, among the most burgled cities in Canada, with reports of break-and-enter incidents at a rate of 761 per 100,000 people.

Overall, break-and-enter incidents in Canada seem to be on the rise, with a reported 132,897 cases in 2022, or a 5.5 per cent increase from the previous year. This rise came after a period of declining incidents, the Handybros. study notes.

Following closely behind Lethbridge and Saskatoon, Regina ranks fourth as the most burgled city in Canada, with 733 break-and-enter incidents per 100,000 residents, the study notes.

Kelowna of British Columbia comes in fifth on the list with about 709 incidents per 100,000, while Moncton experiences 607 break-and-enter incidents per 100,000 people, taking the sixth spot on this list.

Two more cities in Alberta take the next two spots. Edmonton ranks seventh, with 547 reported break-and-enter incidents per 100,000 residents. Following closely behind is Calgary, which takes the eighth spot with 519 incidents per 100,000 residents. 

Rounding out the top 10 are cities in Ontario. Windsor leads the pack, ranking ninth with 456 incidents per 100,000 people. At the tenth position are the tri-cities Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo reporting 438 incidents per 100,000 residents.

Here is the full list of cities and rankings based on break-and-enter incidents:

Lead photo: Rafael Classen rcphotostock.com