Canada Homicide Rate Continues Down Trend, At Par With 1966 Levels

Teresa Munoz Mourns For The Death Of Daughters Maria Jose Alvarado And Sofia — Teresa Munoz mourns over the coffin of her daughter Maria Jose Alvarado during a wake for Maria Jose and her sister Sofia outside their home in Santa Barbara November 20, 2014. The Honduran beauty queen has been found shot dead in a suspected crime of passion just days before she was due to compete in the Miss World pageant in London, police said on Wednesday. The bodies of Maria Jose, 19, and her sister Sofia, 23, were found buried near a river in the mountainous region of Santa Barbara in western Honduras, said Leandro Osorio, head of the criminal investigation unit. Reuters/Jorge Cabrera

The homicide rate in Canada continues to slide down, with current readings reaching the same levels way back in 1966. According to Statistics Canada, overall homicide rate in 2013 dropped to 1.44 victims for every 100,000 people.

In fact, the figures recorded in 2013 rate were even lower by eight percent compared to 2012. Total police reported homicides in 2013 were 505 cases, down by 38 from the previous year. Statistics Canada said Quebec largely contributed to the sharp drop in the country's overall murder rate, with 40 fewer murders committed from a year ago, the lowest since reporting began in 1961. Quebec's homicide figures were only 68 cases, representing a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 population.

The report revealed domestic, gang, and firearm-related homicides were low in 2013. However, the number of fatal stabbings experienced a jump from the previous year.

Province-wide, Manitoba was the worst of all 10 states. About 3.87 people per a population of 100,000 met a violent end in Manitoba in 2013, well ahead of Saskatchewan (2.71).

But it was Toronto that led the list with more murders than any other city in Canada. The highest homicide rate per 100,000 people, meantime, was with Regina, capital of Saskatchewan. Regina's 3.84 homicide rate was nearly twice the national average, Statistics Canada said.

In a news release on Monday, Statistics Canada said the number of homicides is typically highest in highly populated cities. Canada's three most populous cities are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Toronto has 79 homicides, ahead of every other Canadian city, but still the latest figure was down from 81 a year ago. Montreal was second with 43 reported homicides in 2013. Vancouver (42), Edmonton (27), Winnipeg (26) and Calgary (24) followed.

As to the number of murders, Ontario was first with 166 cases. The lowest homicide rate and number of deaths among the country's provinces, meantime, was in Prince Edward Island. Only one person was killed in that area in 2013, following a murder-free year in 2012.

Killer Stats

Highest metropolitan murder rates, per capita, in the country in 2013:

Regina 3.84

Winnipeg 3.24

Thunder Bay 2.46

Edmonton 2.09

Hamilton 2.04

London 1.8

Calgary 1.75

Vancouver 1.72

Abbotsford-Mission 1.69

Saskatoon 1.67