Safety in Canada

I was in Toronto, downtown, for 4 weeks back in 2010.
Mostly after work, I'm alone. I can walk around in the town to get dinner, or go to waterfront during weekend.
I can safely take the bus and go to Niagara falls and get back safely.

My colleague did remind me there's part of the town which I shouldn't be going alone.

That's my experience.

Crime happens in every city in the civilized world, but Canada is among the safest countries you could possibly imagine. If you travel anywhere you should always take common-sense precautions and Canada is no different in that sense. You make yourself a "target" of petty crime if you do stupid things like count out large wads of cash in public.

That said, you can walk about anywhere in the country at any hour of the day or night without having to be overly concerned about your safety. Policing in Canada is world class to say the very least.

The annual (intentional) homicide rate in Canada has hovered around 600 for the whole country for several decades, of those more than 60 percent are solved within the first year and the overall solution rate is closer to 80 percent over the long-term. Most homicides in any country are committed by individuals who the victim knows, so if you don't hang out with all the wrong kind of people then you have no worries there.

Doing dumb stuff like leaving expensive items in full view inside your car parked on the street is an open invitation to be robbed if you're in Toronto, Vancouver, Istanbul, São Paulo, Jolly Olde London or Bejing. Use your head and you'll be as safe as if you were in a church anywhere in Canada.

Cheers,
James     Expat-blog Experts Team

Avoid going to cafe, latest shooting in a cafe in GTA (vaughan) resulted in 2 dead and 2 injured.. I guess crime rate is on the rise?

I agree with James that crime happens any city in the world. However, the fact is that crime in general has been steadily decreasing in Canada http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2 … eng.htm#a5 - whether its violent crime or small crimes. But in any case, one ought to be smart enough and know which places to avoid loitering in wee hours. Take Halifax for example, certain suburbs like Spryfield are a no-no during certain hours and streets like parts of Dutch Village Rd, one should be extra vigilant. But for the most part, you shouldn't worry walking around on your own and even during the oddest of hours in popular streets like Spring Garden Rd or Barrington St. At the end of the day its all about being smart (instinct) and knowing your surroundings. Also a thing to consider is which season of the year. Canada has 4 distinct seasons, so why in the world would someone want to wonder off in the streets when its -30C in 3.00 am in the morning? But then again, stranger things have happen and there are folks that just love the cold. Brrr...

I live in Ottawa. It is a very safe city. I walk with the family at night.No issues in 7 years living here. There are always bad neighborhoods in every city but in comparison with other places that I lived, I would say it is pretty safe.

I believe, as whole, the country is a safe place to live. In every city there are pockets where it's probably best not to walk alone at night and crime does happen everywhere. Like anywhere else in the world, one must use common sense, be smart and aware. Because of the lower rates of gun possession, Canada is, generally, safer than many US cities. Some of the biggest challenges are drug trafficking, gangs and violent crime (usually related to the previously mention criminal activities). As a woman, I generally feel safe conducting my daily life within the cities and countryside. My biggest worry is petty crime and the occasional instance of harassment. Are there problems? Definitely, but there are much worse places to live.

I live in Vancouver and I honestly feel it is one of the safest places in the World. I am from London and have lived in Kazakhstan and Paris. When I now go back "home" to London now I definitely feel different and less comfortable - perhaps I am used to a certain level of safety now here in Vancouver!

Jen
The Expat Spouse

I've lived in a few Canadian cities and visited a few. The "dangerous" neighbourhoods in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal never made me feel threatened. The more amusing one was Vancouver's eastside at 1am after getting into an argument with the taxi driver, I got out and paid the fare too angry to care where I got out. I'd heard it's a dangerous place, but compared to rough neighbourhoods in southeast London or Buffalo NY, I felt fine. Jane and Finch in Toronto hasn't been a problem. Parkdale in Toronto is a bit grotty looking, but not intimidating.

In general, I would say Canada feels safe to me. That said, I haven't been to Winnipeg and the news makes it sound worrying.

SD007 wrote:

Avoid going to cafe, latest shooting in a cafe in GTA (vaughan) resulted in 2 dead and 2 injured.. I guess crime rate is on the rise?

Sorry to disagree with you, but I think that you're simply overreacting with a statement like this. I can tell you that for the past 4 decades at least, the intentional homicide rate for ALL of Canada has been stable at around 600 per year. That's right... for the whole country. Not only that, but the solution rate in the first year following any homicide is around 70%. Good Lord, here in Brazil São Paulo state has more than 600 homicides in a month and the solution rate is under 10%.

Please if you're going to post things to Expat-blog do a bit of research first, don't make statements that aren't supported by facts and unnecessarily alarming. Canada is, has always been and always will be one of the safest countries on earth. Telling people they should avoid going to cafes (or anywhere else for that matter) because someone got killed in one, is like telling people to stop taking a bath because two people drowned in their bathtubs.

Cheers,
James     Expat--blog Experts Team