Statistics Canada Article on Homicide

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat has published an article entitled Homicide in Canada, 2014.

The homicide rate remained stable in 2014 (1.45 per 100,000 population), making 2013 and 2014 the years with the lowest homicide rates since 1966.

However, 23% of the homicide victims in 2014 were reported by police as Aboriginal, a group that accounts for just 5% of the Canadian population.

Among the highlights:

• Manitoba continued to report the highest homicide rate among the provinces (3.43 per 100,000 population).
• Among Canada's 34 census metropolitan areas (CMAs), Thunder Bay reported the highest homicide rate among the CMAs (9.04 per 100,000 population), followed by Winnipeg (3.29 per 100,000 population).
• Saguenay, Sherbrooke, Kingston, Oshawa and Brantford reported no homicides in 2014.
• Police reported 156 firearm-related homicides in 2014, 21 more than in 2013. As such, the rate of firearm-related homicides increased by 14% to 0.44 per 100,000 population. Despite the increase, the rate of firearm-related homicides was the second lowest ever recorded since data became available in 1974.
• In 2014, the number (84) and rate (0.24 per 100,000 population) of gang-related homicides reached its lowest level since 2005.
• Most solved homicides in 2014 were committed by someone known to the victim (83%).
• In 2014, the rate of intimate partner homicides, meaning homicides committed by a current or former legally married or common-law spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend or other intimate relationship, was four times greater for females than for males (0.44 per 100,000 females aged 15 and over versus 0.11 for males aged 15 and over).
• The rate of homicide committed by youth decreased by 36% to 1.07 per 100,000 population, the lowest rate since 1969.
• The homicide rate among Aboriginal people was 6 times higher than that of non-Aboriginal people (7.20 per 100,000 population compared to 1.13 per 100,000).
• Aboriginal males were victims of homicide at a rate 7 times higher than that of non-Aboriginal males (10.86 per 100,000 population versus 1.61). Among Aboriginal females, the rate was 6 times higher than for non-Aboriginal females (3.64 per 100,000 versus 0.65).
• Of the 431 persons accused of homicides in 2014, one third (32%) were Aboriginal people.