Blame Stats Canada!
Saskatoon tabbed Canada's murder capital
Darren Berhardt and Lori Coolican, The StarPhoenix.com
Published: Thursday, October 23, 2008
Saskatoon has taken over the top spot in the nation in a unenviable category: Murder capital of Canada.
Statistics Canada's annual homicide report, released Thursday, says
Saskatoon had the highest rate of all cities for 2007. The number of murders is listed as nine, though the Saskatoon Police Service disputes that figure, saying it was seven.
Nonetheless, whether it was officially nine or seven, Saskatoon was nowhere near Toronto's 111, which accounted for nearly one-fifth the national total. Still, Toronto ranked below Saskatoon.
That's because the data is calculated on a per-capita basis. After taking population into account, the Toronto homicide rate is on par with other large Canadian cities.
Saskatoon's homicide rate was 3.6 per 100,000 population. Winnipeg ranked second at 3.55, followed by Edmonton at 3.28 and Calgary at 3.14. Regina, which topped the list in 2006 with a rate of 5.47, dropped to sixth place in 2007, tied with Greater Sudbury at a rate of 2.46.
One of the homicides included in the report for Saskatoon actually took place in 2006, police spokesperson Alyson Edwards noted.
Marie Lasas was a student whose remains were not found until the following year under a pile of wood behind a vacant house on 33rd Street West.
Another death included in the figures was that of Alec McMillan, whose body was discovered in a ditch just outside the city limits in January.
That investigation is being handled by the RCMP because it is not within the city police force's jurisdiction.
"It's kind of frustrating for us." Edwards said.
The murder capital label tends to distort people's perceptions about the relative level of safety in a small city like Saskatoon, "and it's difficult with homicides, because you can't really prevent those," she said.
So far this year, the city has recorded two homicides and the violent crime rate, which includes homicides, is down by more than 12 per cent, Edwards noted.
Hongming Cheng, assistant professor of criminology at the University of Saskatchewan, cited a number of factors that should be addressed to maintain that positive direction.
Frustrations that seem trivial can grow into explosive situations. Catching those early is key and that requires strong community supports to address poverty and employment, Cheng said.
People who feel disaffected are the ones who act out. With more training opportunities and a focus on restorative justice, people on society's fringe can become more productive members with a sense of belonging, Cheng suggested.
The downside of the current economic boom means the gap between the rich and poor is growing wider. The city has already experienced that as the availability of affordable housing plummets.
And the issue of racism is still an ugly blight on Saskatoon. Cheng has witnessed it through the experiences of his colleagues, one of whom is aboriginal. That professor's son has been told by people in his east side neighbourhood to stay on the west side, Cheng said.
"Aboriginal people have still not been accepted into the dominant society," he said.
It's only so long before those tensions boil over.
The western provinces and the territories have consistently reported the highest homicide rates in the country and last year was no exception, Statistics Canada says.
With 62 homicides, Manitoba had the highest rate (5.22) among the provinces. Even though Ontario had 201 murders, its rate (1.57) was below the national average (1.80).
Saskatchewan (3.01), Alberta (2.53) and British Columbia (2.01) rounded out the top four. Nunavut's seven murders gave it a rate of 22.50, highest of the territories.
Overall, Canada's homicide rate is on a downward trend. After rising through much of the 1960s and early 1970s, it changed direction in the mid-1970s. The 2007 rate is a further decline of three per cent from 2006.
© The StarPhoenix 2008
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