���߲ݴ�ý

Real estate website analyzed Fraser Institute property crime rates and Canadian Real Estate Association to find the safest places to own a home across Canada and how much homebuyers can expect to pay.

Property crime includes break-and-enter incidents, theft, and motor vehicle theft. According to the Fraser Institute report, Canadian urban areas experience an average property crime rate of 2,588 per 100,000 residents— 8 per cent lower than their U.S. counterparts at 2,821 per 100,000. However, certain Canadian cities report significantly higher rates.

While Quebec is the safest province overall — with five cities ranking among the lowest in crime rates — the Zoocasa study found several Ontario cities are among Canada’s safest places to own a home.

Safest places in Ontario

“Ontario’s real estate market is known for its higher home prices, but safety remains a key consideration. Barrie, Belleville, St. Catharines-Niagara, and Toronto are some of the safest places in the province to be a homeowner,” notes Zoocasa content specialist Angela Serednicki in a .

The ranks Winnipeg as the nation’s most-dangerous city when it comes to violent crime, with 675 violent crimes per 100,000 population using data from 2019-2022.

Conversely, the bottom four, or safest cities nationally, are ���߲ݴ�ýat 148 per 100,000, followed by Barrie, Quebec City, and Sherbrooke at 143, 112, and 102 per 100,000 respectively.

Overall ranking

The Fraser Institute ranks 334 Canadian census metropolitan areas and U.S. metropolitan areas to compile an overall list of the most dangerous and safest areas in North America.

Winnipeg, the most dangerous Canadian city according to the study, is ranked 18th in North America with a violent crime rate of 675.1 per 100,000.

Toronto placed No. 261 with 203.1 violent crimes per 100,000 population.

The Ottawa-specific portion of the Ottawa-Gatineau region had a violent crime rate of 166 per 100,000 to rank at No. 291, also among the safest places in North America.

Belleville’s rate was 152.6 per 100,000, ranking at No. 299.

St. Catharines-Niagara is also among the safest places to live in North America with a violent crime rate of 149.2 per 100,000, ranking at No. 302 overall.

Best ranking of safety and affordability

Using average home price data provided by the Canadian Real Estate Association’s , the Ottawa-specific portion of Ottawa-Gatineau ranks among Canada’s best with an average home price of $474,421.

“Gatineau, in particular, benefits from its proximity to Ottawa, allowing residents to work in the capital while taking advantage of Quebec’s lower home prices and cost of living,” Serednicki notes in the Zoocasa blog post.

Belleville was also among the safest and most affordable areas with an average home price of $640,000.

Barrie ranks highly for affordability and safety, with an average home price of $760,575.

While it’s not known for affordability with an average home price of $1,041,219, Toronto is also ranked among Canada’s safest places to live, Zoocasa notes.