Canada Housing Market

Worried about safety in Canadian cities? Here’s a breakdown of the most dangerous neighbourhoods across Canada, according to recent crime data and official statistics.

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1. Surrey, British Columbia (Metro Vancouver)

• Surrey tops the list among large Canadian cities, with a Crime Index of 64.7 and Safety Index of 35.3 in 2023.¹
• Police responded to 32,053 service calls per 100,000 residents, and violent offences rose by 14% in early 2025.¹

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2. Downtown Eastside (Vancouver, BC)

• DTES remains one of Canada’s most troubled neighbourhoods- marked by high rates of addiction, poverty, homelessness, and violent incidents.²
• It accounts for a disproportionate share of Vancouver’s serious assaults (34.5%) and sexual assaults (16%), despite its small population share.²

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3. North End (Winnipeg, MB)

• This area has particularly high incidences of violent crime: in 2012 there were 374 robberies (1,175/100k), 624 break-ins (1,960/100k), and 17 shootings (53/100k).³
• Between 2011 and 2018, recorded homicides fluctuated from 32.6 to 14.4 per 100k, markedly above provincial rates.³

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4. Centennial (Winnipeg, MB)

• In 2016, Centennial experienced 36 robberies (1,618/100k), 46 break-ins (2,067/100k), 23 auto thefts, and 21 shootings (224/100k)– far exceeding national norms.⁴

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5. ByWard Market and Lowertown (Ottawa, ON)

• Violent crimes are roughly 3× higher and property crimes 2× higher than Ottawa’s city average.⁵
• Between 2016–2019, the neighbourhood averaged about 6.5 shootings per year– accounting for 9% of Ottawa’s total gun violence.⁵

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National Crime Severity Index (CSI) & Research Insights

• The Crime Severity Index (CSI) is the benchmark for comparing Canadian urban safety.¹
• In 2023, Kamloops (CSI 165.3) was among the highest-ranked cities nationwide.⁶
• Rural areas in Saskatchewan (187.0), Manitoba (152.8), and Alberta (144.5) also saw elevated CSI levels.⁷
• Studies show high-crime areas often correlate with low-income households, high density of bars/commercial zones, and populations with lower education levels.⁸

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Why This Matters

• High violence and property crime destabilize communities, depress property values, and constrain local business investment.
• Addressing root causes- like poverty, homelessness, and limited access to mental health resources– is crucial for long-term improvement.

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What’s Happening?

• Surrey Police are deploying targeted patrols and community outreach to reduce violent trends.¹
• Ottawa has assigned dedicated police teams to ByWard Market/Lowertown.⁵
• Winnipeg is funding street lighting and Indigenous youth programs to reduce crime in high-risk areas like North End and Centennial.¹¹

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📚 Sources

1. Surrey CSI & calls data – Reolink “Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in Canada” (2025) publications.gc.ca+14reolink.com+14canadacrimereport.com+14en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org+1en.wikipedia.org+1en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgcanadacrimereport.com+1www150.statcan.gc.ca+1www150.statcan.gc.ca
2. Downtown Eastside crime stats – Wikipedia, Vancouver DTES entry en.wikipedia.org
3. Winnipeg North End crime rates – Wikipedia “North End, Winnipeg” youtube.com+2en.wikipedia.org+2data.torontopolice.on.ca+2
4. Centennial violent crime stats – Wikipedia “Centennial, Winnipeg” en.wikipedia.org
5. ByWard Market crime data – Wikipedia “Lower Town” www150.statcan.gc.ca+15en.wikipedia.org+15en.wikipedia.org+15
6. Kamloops CSI – Credit Card Genius analysis www150.statcan.gc.ca+3creditcardgenius.ca+3canadacrimereport.com+3
7. Rural CSI stats – Statistics Canada rural vs urban CSI www150.statcan.gc.ca
8. Neighbourhood crime determinants – StatCan neighbourhood characteristics (2006) www150.statcan.gc.ca+5www150.statcan.gc.ca+5publicsafety.gc.ca+5

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