Ottawa sees 23% drop in reported hate crimes in 2025

Ottawa Police sign outside headquarters on Elgin St. in Ottawa. (CTV News Ottawa)

The Ottawa Police Service is reporting a 23 per cent decrease in reported hate crime incidents in the capital last year.

Statistics released on Tuesday showed 358 incidents were reported to the Hate and Bias Crime Unit in 2025, down from 467 incidents in 2024.

“Among the reported incidents, 263 were classified as criminal offences, and 95 as hate-motivated incidents,” police said.

Police say 50 people were charged with a total of 163 offences in connection with hate crime investigations. Four youths were also charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Police say the groups most commonly targeted were Ottawa’s Jewish community, with 73 reported incidents, the Black community with 51 reported incidents, the LGBTQ2+ community with 26 incidents reported, and 18 incidents targeting Muslim people.

According to police, the “most serious violations” in 2025 were mischief to property, threats, assault, harassing communication, assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.

“Hate crimes can be underreported,” police said.

“We encourage anyone who has experienced a hate incident to report it to us for further investigation.”

If you or someone you know has been a victim of a hate-motivated crime, you can report it to the Ottawa Police Hate and Bias Crime Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 7300 or online.

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