Winnipeg, Lethbridge and Kelowna some of North America’s most dangerous cities: study

Researchers from the Fraser Institute highlighted Winnipeg, Lethbridge and Kelowna as being significant hubs of violence and property crime, even when compared to American cities of similar sizes.

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Source: Alex Zoltan

A new study reveals how Canadian cities are becoming some of the most dangerous cities in North America.

Researchers from the Fraser Institute highlighted Winnipeg, Lethbridge and Kelowna as being significant hubs of violence and property crime, even when compared to American cities of similar sizes.

The objective of the study was to present and compare, via rankings, recent violent

and property crime rates across major urban areas in Canada and the United States.

Cities with populations of 100,000 people or more were considered urban centres.

The study identified Winnipeg as Canada's most dangerous city, with a violent crime rate of 675 incidents per 100,000 residents—more than double the national average of 262.

That level of per-capita violence put Winnipeg well ahead of many American cities notorious for violent crime, such as Detroit, Chicago and Houston.

Lethbridge, meanwhile, has the highest rate of property crime of either nation at 5,521 crimes per 100,000, which is more than twice either the Canadian or American national averages.

Kelowna, known for its picturesque landscapes and tourism appeal, ranked second in property crimes on a per-capita basis across both Canada and the U.S., only behind Lethbridge, but still well ahead of cities like San Francisco and Portland.

As previously reported by True North, the report more broadly suggests that Canada has surpassed the United States when it comes to property crime and experienced a rapid rise in violent crime since 2014 – rather quickly closing the gap on that metric, as well.