New report reveals list of safest cities in Canada

Views of a smoky skyline around Union Station in Toronto, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Lahodynskyj

A new report from rentals platform Rentola.ca reveals the safest cities in Canada, with Ontario cities dominating the top 10 on the list.

According to the study, Barrie, Ont. is the safest city in all Canadian metropolitan areas with an overall safety index of 7.13. Following closely is Brantford, Ont., which is Canada's second safest city, with an overall safety index of 7.00.

To determine the safest city rankings, Rentola analyzed several indicators -- including the number of citizens per police officer, the amount of violent and non-violent crimes and the crime-solving rate -- on a scale of one to 10.

Guelph, Ont. ranked third as the safest city in Canada with an overall safety index of 6.84, and Toronto, Ont. with a 6.63 safety index came in as the fourth safest city in the country.

Following closely behind is Saint John, N.B., which ranks as the fifth safest city in the country, with a safety index of 6.46.

Winnipeg received the lowest safety index among the 34 cities analyzed in the study, scoring 4.59.

Here are the top 10 safest cities with an overall safety index, according to Rentola.ca:

1. Barrie, Ont., 7.13

2. Brantford, Ont., 7.00

3. Guelph, Ont., 6.84

4. Toronto, Ont., 6.63

5. Saint John, N.B., 6.46

6. Belleville, Ont., 6.43

7. Windsor, Ont., 6.42

8. St. Catharines-Niagara, Ont., 6.40

9. Lethbridge, Alta., 6.37

10. Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ont., 6.29

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Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.