Canada's New Homicide Capital is in Ontario

Statistics Canada has released its latest data about the number of homicides in Canada, and Manitoba continues to have the highest rate in the country, but it's an Ontario city that is leading the way with the most deaths.

In 2014, Canadian police services reported 516 homicides, that is four more than the previous year. While the homicide rate was stable in 2014, there were still 1.45 deaths per 100,000 people. Almost a quarter of those 516 homicides were Aboriginal people, a group that accounts for just five per cent of the Canadian population.

In 2014, five provinces reported fewer homicides compared with 2013: Ontario (-13), Nova Scotia (-7), Saskatchewan (-7), Manitoba (-7) and Newfoundland and Labrador (-5). Seven jurisdictions reported more homicides: Alberta (+22), British Columbia (+12), Yukon (+3), Prince Edward Island (+2), New Brunswick (+2), Quebec (+1) and Northwest Territories (+1). The number of homicides in Nunavut was unchanged.

Despite having a 15 per cent decline in 2014, Manitoba continued to have the highest homicide rate among the provinces for the eighth year in a row. Manitoba reported 3.43 homicides per 100,000 population, followed by Alberta at 2.52 per 100,000 and Saskatchewan with 2.13 per 100,000.

Thunder Bay, Ontario had the highest homicide rate in 2014 among Canada’s census metropolitan areas with 11. At 9.04 per 100,000 population, Thunder Bay's rate was nearly three times that of Winnipeg, which recorded the second highest rate 3.29 per 100,000 population. With a 51 per cent decrease in its rate, Regina went from having the highest homicide rate in 2013 to eighth highest in 2014.

Kelowna landed 12 on the list, behind Vancouver but ahead of Toronto with three homicides reported in 2014. Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, and Edmonton had the most homicides reported in 2014.

No homicides were reported in Saguenay, Sherbrooke, Kingston, Oshawa and Brantford in 2014.

Police reported 156 firearm-related homicides in 2014, 21 more than in 2013, representing a 14 per cent increase in the rate of firearm-related homicides. As was the case in previous years, most solved homicides in 2014 were committed by someone known to the victim (83 per cent). Victims were most often killed by an acquaintance (37 per cent) or a family member (34 per cent) in 2014, including current or ex-spouses (16 per cent). In addition, victims were killed by someone known through criminal relationships (6 per cent) or by someone with whom they had a non-spousal intimate relationship (5 per cent).