Lethbridge ranked among safest cities to live in Canada

By Lethbridge Herald on July 18, 2023.

Herald photo by Ian Martens Residents enjoy a summer day downtown.

Al Beeber
LETHBRIDGE HERALD

A study compiled by rental home search engine Rentola lists Lethbridge as the ninth safest metropolitan place to live in Canada.

This is despite that Lethbridge has the highest Crime Severity Index in the country.

The website says that while Lethbridge has the highest crime rate among all Canadian metropolitan areas, “the majority of offences perpetrated are classified as non-violent. Furthermore, Lethbridge maintains a sufficient number of police officers to ensure a  high rate of crime detection.”

The safest city, according to Rentola, is Barrie, Ont. followed by Brantford, Ont., Guelph, Ont., Toronto and Saint John, New Brunswick.

Lethbridge is the only Alberta city in the Top 10. Calgary is 20th and Edmonton ranks 21st.

The site says Lethbridge has a ratio of 8.94 citizens per police officer which is the highest ratio in the Top 10.

The site notes that “although the safest cities in Canada have notably lower crime rates compared to other areas, it’s essential to recognize that no city is completely immune to all types of crime. However, the top-ranked cities have demonstrated effective safety initiatives, community engagement, and proactive measures that significantly contribute to their overall safety.”

Rentola has failed to return multiple requests from The Herald for interviews about its rankings. Its website, however, says factors including crime rates and the percentage of crimes solved were considered.

While Lethbridge was ranked No. 1 on the 2021 Statistics Canada Crime Statistics Index, statistics included communities in the surrounding area.

The city’s overall CSI rating compiled by Statistics Canada of 128.65 topped the nation on that table but that figure was down 7.13 per cent from 2020.

The city had a CSI rating for violent crime of 114.25 which was a 2.69 per cent increase over 2020. For non-violent crime, Lethbridge had a CSI of 133.53.

The CSI “includes all Criminal Code violations including traffic, as well as drug violations and all federal statutes,” says StatsCan.