All three Alberta CMAs have property crime rates above national average
Calgary Feb. 13, 2025 (TMNW)—The property crime rate in Lethbridge is the highest among Canada’s large urban areas over 100,000 people, and all three Alberta CMAs have property crime rates above the national average for CMAs, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“Despite traditional stereotypes about the make-up of Western Canada’s urban areas, Lethbridge is now among the most crime-ridden cities in Canada, and all three of Alberta’s large urban areas have more crime than the Canadian average for CMAs,” said Livio Di Matteo, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of Comparing Recent Crime Trends in Canada and the US: Urban Areas.
The chapter released today, part of a larger upcoming study examining crime rates between the two countries, focuses on the rankings of large urban areas—known as Census Metropolitan Areas—of 100,000 people or more.
For Alberta, it finds that using the maximum annual rates from 2019 to 2022 (the most recent years of comparable date), Lethbridge had the highest rate of property crimes (e.g., burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft) among all Canadian CMAs at 5,521 crimes per 100,000 people. That’s more than twice the average rate for large Canadian urban areas (CMAs) of 2,247.
By comparison, Edmonton ranked fifth for property crime, with a rate of 3,958 per 100,000 people, and Calgary ranked seventh, with a rate of 3,466.
Lethbridge also had the highest rate of violent crimes in the province (e.g., murder, robbery, and assault with a weapon), with a rate of 402 per 100,000 people, compared to Edmonton (369) and Calgary (294). The average for all Canadian urban areas was 348.
The most dangerous city in Canada from 2019 to 2022 with the highest violent crime rate was Winnipeg, Manitoba, with a rate of 675 per 100,000.
“Crime rates in Canadian cities, while still historically low, are on the rise and should be of greater concern for both citizens and policymakers,” Di Matteo said.
Media Contact:
Drue MacPherson, Fraser Institute
[email protected]
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