Safety matters when choosing where to buy a home and raise a family. This guide ranks Canada’s safest cities using the Crime Severity Index (CSI), Statistics Canada’s measure of police-reported crime that accounts for both volume and seriousness of offences.
Understanding the Crime Severity Index (CSI)
| CSI Range | Interpretation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 40–60 | Safe | Quebec City, Ottawa, Barrie, Guelph |
| 60–80 | National average | Canada-wide CSI 75.0 |
| 80–120 | Above average crime | Winnipeg, Saskatoon |
| Over 120 | High crime severity | Kamloops, Chilliwack |
The bands and labels in this table are this page’s own grouping, not Statistics Canada categories.
Important: CSI measures police-reported crime. Actual crime may differ due to reporting rates. Property crimes (especially shoplifting and auto theft) tend to be under-reported.
20 Lowest-CSI Cities in Canada, Ranked
| Rank | Census metropolitan area | Province | 2025 CSI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barrie | ON | 46.9 |
| 2 | Saguenay | QC | 49.3 |
| 3 | Sherbrooke | QC | 50.3 |
| 4 | Ottawa (Ontario part) | ON | 50.6 |
| 5 | St. Catharines–Niagara | ON | 53.8 |
| 6 | Hamilton | ON | 54.8 |
| 7 | Québec | QC | 55.0 |
| 7 | Toronto | ON | 55.0 |
| 9 | Windsor | ON | 55.4 |
| 10 | Trois-Rivières | QC | 56.0 |
| 11 | Peterborough | ON | 57.3 |
| 12 | Guelph | ON | 57.8 |
| 13 | Gatineau (Quebec part) | QC | 60.6 |
| 14 | Montréal | QC | 61.3 |
| 15 | Kingston | ON | 61.5 |
| 16 | Calgary | AB | 61.7 |
| 17 | Belleville–Quinte West | ON | 63.1 |
| 18 | Greater Sudbury | ON | 64.9 |
| 19 | London | ON | 66.0 |
| 20 | Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo | ON | 66.8 |
Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily (July 22, 2026), Table 4. Québec and Toronto tie at 55.0. Ottawa and Gatineau are the Ontario and Quebec parts of the Ottawa–Gatineau area. Oshawa is not in the table.
Crime Rate by City Type
| City type | CSI range | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Quebec mid-size | 49.3–56.0 | Quebec City, Saguenay, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières |
| Ontario mid-size | 46.9–66.8 | Guelph, Barrie, Ottawa, Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo |
| Atlantic small-medium | 80.5–105.6 | Fredericton, Moncton |
| Large metros | 55.0–83.5 | Toronto, Calgary, Montréal, Vancouver |
| Prairie cities | 87.4–113.4 | Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Edmonton |
Crime Severity Index in the Largest Metros
Statistics Canada publishes the index for census metropolitan areas, not for neighbourhoods, so the figures below cover each whole metro area. For neighbourhood-level detail, see the guides linked under Related Resources.
| Metro area | 2025 CSI |
|---|---|
| Toronto | 55.0 |
| Montréal | 61.3 |
| Calgary | 61.7 |
| Vancouver | 83.5 |
Safety and Home Insurance
Insurance note: Home insurance premiums are partly based on the claims insurers see in a neighbourhood.
Mortgage Implications
Safety affects your homebuying decision through several channels:
| Channel | How It Affects Buyers |
|---|---|
| Property values | Safer neighbourhoods command higher prices = larger mortgage = more income needed |
| Insurance premiums | Insurers price using claims in the neighbourhood, so premiums can differ by area |
| Resale value | Safer areas tend to hold value better in downturns |
| Rental demand | Safer areas attract better tenants for investment properties |
| Property tax | Safer suburban municipalities sometimes have lower property tax rates |
Related Resources
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them on September 24, 2026. How we check facts.
- Statistics Canada: Statistics Canada
- Statistics Canada: Household income statistics by household type: Census metropolitan areas, tracted…
- Statistics Canada: Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2025
- Statistics Canada: Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2025