Posted on 10/06/2005 12:06:17 PM PDT by Clive
OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's homicide rate jumped last year after reaching a 30-year low in 2003.
But for the third consecutive year, the number of spousal homicides declined, although all other categories of family homicide rose, Statistics Canada reported Thursday. Firearm homicides increased slightly to 172, which was 11 more than in 2003 and 20 more than in 2002. And 65 per cent of those were committed with a handgun.
Still, firearm homicides in Canada were much lower than those in the United States, coming in at 28 per cent compared with 66 per cent.
In total, police reported 622 homicides last year, 73 more than in 2003.
That worked out to a rate of 1.95 for every 100,000 population, which was 12 per cent higher than in 2003 and three per cent higher than the average during the previous decade.
The 2004 rise nationally was mainly due to an increase of 22 homicides in Alberta, 18 in British Columbia and 12 in Quebec. And among cities, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal together accounted for 75 per cent of the increase.
However, while homicide is often thought of as a major urban phenomenon, murder rates outside cities are typically as high or higher than those within urban centres, and that was the case in 2004, Statistics Canada said.
At the provincial level, Manitoba recorded 13 homicides committed with a firearm, giving it the highest provincial rate for 2004 and displacing British Columbia and Quebec which had held that distinction for a decade.
"Police reported that 74 spouses were killed in 2004, down from 78 the year before, and the third consecutive annual decline," the agency said.
"Of the 62 female victims of spousal homicide, 27 women were killed by their legally-married husband, 20 by a common-law husband and 15 by a separated or divorced husband.
"Of the 12 male victims, three were killed by their legally-married wife, eight by their common-law wife and one by a separated or divorced wife."
Homicide includes first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter or infanticide. Deaths caused by criminal negligence, suicide, and accidental or justifiable homicide were not included.
Stabbings accounted for 33 per cent of all homicides, beatings for 22 per cent and strangulation-suffocation a further 10 per cent.
"Police reported 18 prostitutes killed, 11 of which were directly related to their profession," the agency said.
Another 81 victims were involved in activities such as drug trafficking and gang violence.
And as in previous years, most homicides were committed by someone known to the victim.
The agency also said:
-Homicides involving relationships with intimate partners doubled to 22 from 11 in 2003.
-Thirty-six children were killed by their parent, 17 parents were killed by their child, 11 victims were killed by a sibling.
-The number of youths aged 12 to 17 accused of homicide fell to 40 from 57 in 2003.
-Seventy people were killed by someone police believed was suffering from mental illness.
-Manitoba and Saskatchewan had the highest overall homicide rate among provinces, followed by Alberta and British Columbia. The lowest rates were in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
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A list of cities with the homicide rate per 100,000 population (and number of homicides) in 2004:
Regina: 4.98 (10)
Winnipeg: 4.89 (34)
Abbotsford: 4.39 (7)
Edmonton: 3.39 (34)
Saskatoon: 3.30 (8)
Vancouver: 2.58 (56)
Halifax: 2.37 (9)
Calgary: 1.91 (20)
Oshawa: 1.82 (6)
Toronto: 1.80 (94)
Montreal: 1.73 (63)
St. Catharines/Niagara: 1.62 (7)
Victoria: 1.51 (5)
Saguenay: 1.35 (2)
Hamilton: 1.30 (9)
Kitchener: 1.26 (6)
Windsor: 1.21 (4)
Ottawa: 1.14 (10)
London: 1.07 (5)
Quebec City: 0.84 (6)
Trois-Rivieres: 0.69 (1)
Saint John: 0.69 (1)
St. John's: 0.56 (1)
Gatineau: 0.35 (1)
Sherbrooke: 0
Kingston: 0
Greater Sudbury: 0
Thunder Bay: 0
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Totals: 1.91 (399)
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It's Bush's fault!
Must be all those Americans who've moved there to get away from Bush.
There are 30 million people in Canada (22 million of whom live in an urban area) and 9.5 million people in NYC on any given day (8 million of whom live there).
So it's roughly half as dangerous living in a Canadian city as it is to live in NYC.
I'm on the right side of the trade.
But of course! Didn't you know everything is your President's fault? Speaking of which, my back is sore and I needed massage therapy, I will be billing the White House.
That's it. We need our own version of the Minutemen guarding the borders and keeping all those murderous Democrats out.
Must be all those dumbocrats who moved to Canada after they lost the election, then realised just what the hell they had done.
So we see that there were 23,000 murders in the US in 1980 when the population was 75% of what it is today.
And today the murder rate is 65% of what it was in 1980.
Does any FReeper know how many states allowed concealed carry in 1980 and how many today?
Son, I'm tired of fighting with yer ma. Go kill 'er. And git me another beer while yer at it.
Whenever I hear of murders back up North I email my parents about it...there response, "Some drug dealers got whacked"...
Says more about the state of marriage vs shacking up, than it does about anything else.
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