Canada is widely recognised as one of the top choices for international students seeking universities to study abroad. While numerous universities around the world offer excellent programmes, Canadian universities hold a unique appeal for international students, particularly those from India. Recent findings indicate that Ontario, a province in Canada, boasts eight out of the top ten safest cities in the country. However, the study is based on various factors that are listed below:
- Citizen-police officer ratio
- Violent crime index, including assaults, robberies, homicides, etc.
- Non-violent crime index, including fraud, insider trading, and much more
- Number of cases solved, and
- The severity of crime cases
The study takes all of the above results into consideration for a single safety score. Moreover, the cities will be ranked on a scale of 10, with 1 being awarded to the least safe city and 10 to the safest city.
Below is the list of the ten safest cities in Canada with their safety scores:
- Barrie (Ontario): 7.13;
- Brantford (Ontario): 7.00;
- Guelph (Ontario): 6.84;
- Toronto (Ontario): 6.63;
- Saint John (New Brunswick): 6.63;
- Belleville (Ontario): 6.43;
- Windsor (Ontario): 6.42;
- Catharines, Niagara (Ontario): 6.40;
- Lethbridge (Alberta): 6.37;
- Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo (Ontario): 6.29
According to the above list, Barrie in Ontario tops the chart, and surprisingly, Toronto is at number 4. What makes the city of Toronto surprising is – its population. There are over 2.7 million people in the city, making it the most populous city in Canada. However, other populous cities include Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary, which scored much lower rankings in the list of safe cities.
Nonetheless, reports from a provincial point of view state that out of 34 cities around Canada, 14 were in Ontario and six in Quebec, followed by four in British Columbia and three in Alberta. Further, the reports by the Crime Severity Index (CSI) claim that the severity of crime in Ontario and Quebec is much less than in other provinces.
Prospective international students aiming to pursue higher education abroad, particularly in Canada, can utilise the provided information as a valuable resource when choosing the most suitable city for their studies. Nevertheless, it’s essential to note that crime rates can vary and should not be the sole determining factor when making decisions about which city or university to select for your overseas education.