Thunder Bay tops violent crime chart in 2024
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. – tbnewswatch.com
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Police not surprised by top ranking in violent crime report
City police chief Darcy Fleury isn’t surprised to see Thunder Bay rank highest among Canadian cities for the severity of violent crimes.
The city’s 2024 rate on a violent crime severity index was more than double the national average and up more than 7 per cent over the 2023 numbers.
“We know that Thunder Bay is a very busy, very busy place for policing, and the stats kind of represent what we’ve seen over the year,” Fleury told Newswatch in an interview. “And it doesn’t catch us by surprise at all.”
“I think we’ve done some really great work to put some emphasis on some of the more threatening areas of danger to our community. So, I think that’s reflective of the work that we’ve been doing.”
Fleury said the police service recognizes the city has “a fairly big drug problem” that goes hand-in-hand with the city’s “socioeconomic situation.”
“I think the frontline officers are seeing that on a regular basis. I’ve mentioned this throughout my time in the community, that a lot of times we’re seeing our officers being tied up with mental health calls or those types of situations where they take resources away from us doing other things,” Fleury said.
When asked what could be done to lower the city’s violent crime rate, he said the police service needs to continue working with the social service agencies and push all levels of government to understand that people with mental health and addiction issues are “not a justice situation. It’s not an enforcement situation.”
Police will “concentrate on those people who supply and bring the bad activity to our community. But the other agencies, if they’re funded properly and doing the work they’re doing, should really help us direct people away from the justice system,” Fleury said.
He said the larger threats to the city are guns, gangs, and drugs activity, “which result in some of the more severe incidents of crime.”
Fleury said the police service is going to “concentrate” on the guns, gangs, and drugs initiative “for the next little while” and “send the message to those people that come here to do harm…that activity is not wanted.”
Although the statistics showed an increase in violent crimes last year, Fleury emphasized that the police service had “a very good clearance rate” in solving crimes around the city.
“The clearance rate, I think it’s really significant to point out. That goes right through the entire service from our frontline officers, people on patrol, and the work that they’re doing, all the way through our specialty units and being involved in different types of criminal activity or investigations,” Fleury said.
“The work that they do in order to get a satisfactory end to these things is very important, and that’s a really a proud thing for the service to have, and the community should be glad that they put that much effort to make sure that we’re getting those things done.”
Mayor Ken Boshcoff also praised the enforcement efforts of police, both in the city and throughout the region.
“As a city that’s in the centre of a region that’s larger than many countries, and we have the port, the airport, all the highways converge here — I think that our police forces … are doing a great job, particularly in apprehension,” Boshcoff said.
“So, the stats don’t really reflect what’s really happening here in Thunder Bay, just because it is per capita. I could walk anywhere pretty much like you can in any city without any kind of fear, and I think that we remain the safest cities.” – tbnewswatch.com
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I wonder what Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon and Chilliwack have in common? I am sure there is something that links them. Yes, they are all in western Canada but I am sure there is something else. I wonder what it is?
2024 Top Violent Crime Capital of Canada is a nice prize. There are a lot of people that worked hard to win this award and its good to see all that hard work rewarded. It paid off big time!
There are too many people that helped bring this title to Thunder Bay but I am sure they know who they are. We owe them all a big thanks. Give them a big round of applause.
However, the top prize is Murder Capital Of Canada. Thunder Bay has won that title many times before, including 2023. 2022, Winning it in 2024 would give the city a threepeat.
Violent crime is something Thunder Bay does well. Its in the city’s blood.