Murder Rate the Lowest It's Been in 44 Years

Fewer murders in Alberta, Manitoba, and B.C. help bring Canada's homicide rate down to near-record lows.

New statistics on homicides in Canada released today show that the country's murder rate is the lowest it's been in 44 years, with there being 56 fewer homicides in 2010 than in 2009. Statistics Canada data shows that 554 people were murdered in 2010, making the murder rate just 1.62 per 100,000 people. Much of the decline in homicides can be attributed to Vancouver, where gangland activity has settled down substantially in the past two years. There were 25 fewer murders in Vancouver in 2010 than in 2009, marking the city's lowest rate since records were first released in 1981. That trend also held true in Alberta, where there were 18 fewer homicides, and in Manitoba, where there were 12 fewer. Overall, fewer people are using firearms to kill their victims, as guns claimed 170 lives in 2010, down from 180 in 2009. Stabbing and beating were the second and third most popular ways to kill somebody last year, while gang-related murders also continue to fall from their high in 2008. Thunder Bay, Ont., bears the distinction of having the country's highest murder rate, followed closely by both Saskatoon and Regina.