Kelowna's murder rate has dropped

Murder rate drops

Photo: Castanet

FILE- A 2022 murder scene in dowtown Kelowna.

Across Canada, the murder rate has fallen and Kelowna is no different.

Statistics Canada released its latest homicide statistics Wednesday, showing that in Kelowna, there were five murders in 2023. That is three fewer victims than the year previous, amounting to a homicide rate drop of 39 per cent. It now sits at 2.04 per cent compared to 3.36 per cent a year earlier.

That rate, though representative of a low number, is higher than the national average.

In 2023, police services reported 778 homicides across the country, which is 104 fewer victims than the previous year. As a result, the national homicide rate decreased by 14 per cent, from 2.27 to 1.94 homicides per 100,000 population.

“Gang-related homicides and intimate partner homicides all experienced declines, contributing to the overall reduction in the national homicide rate. Significant decreases in homicide rates in Canada's three largest census metropolitan areas (CMAs)—Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver—also contributed to the overall reduction,” the Statistics Canada report reads.

“This marks the first time since 2019 that the rate was below two homicides per 100,000 population.”

In the daily report, Statistics Canada said eight provinces saw reductions in their homicide rates. The largest decline was in New Brunswick (-42 per cent), while Nova Scotia (-29 per cent) and British Columbia (-23 per cent) also saw notable declines.

Among Canada's CMAs, Thunder Bay recorded the highest homicide rate in 2023, despite a 54 per cent decrease in the number of homicides compared with the previous year. Thunder Bay's homicide rate stood at 5.39 per 100,000 population, followed by Winnipeg (5.04) and Chilliwack (4.77).

Aligning with the general downward trend in the homicide rate, 26 of Canada's 42 CMAs recorded declines in their homicide rate from 2022 to 2023. The three largest CMAs—Toronto (-14 per cent), Montréal (-21 per cent) and Vancouver (-37 per cent)—experienced significant reductions in homicide rates in 2023.