Website lists city among Canada’s ‘most dangerous’
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on January 4, 2024.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com Just when you thought it was safe to read about Lethbridge crime, a new study has come that calls this city the second most dangerous place in Canada.A website called The Boutique Adventurer lists Lethbridge as No. 2 behind Surrey, B.C.
Its rankings – says the website – are based on data gleaned from global ratings site Numbeo which does not actually have a list of Canada’s most dangerous cities, and apparently relies on the results of surveys conducted of website visitors to gauge crime severity.
Lethbridge crime data on Numbeo is based on a total of 98 “contributors” who have left their “perceptions” in the past three years. Among its categories for crime rates include “worries being insulted.”
Surrey is called the “unofficial crime capital of Canada” by The Boutique Adventurer which is run by an English-based Australian named Amanda O’Brien who says she has visited 80 countries.
The website says Lethbridge has experienced an influx of residents which has caused the crime index to rise “but this does not mean serious offenses have gone up. When it comes to crime, the most common occurrences include drug-related issues related to the ongoing opioid crisis.”
For safety, it recommends people “Stay away from areas where drug-related crimes are constantly reported, and when travelling, always stick to well-lit neighbourhoods.”
In third place on the list is Red Deer.
“Incidents of drug using and dealing, as well as vandalism and theft, are the major issues facing Red Deer. Although reported incidents involving assault and armed robbery have also been on the rise in higher populated areas of the city,” says Numbeo which warns people to be aware of their surroundings if headed into the central business district and to avoid less crowded areas further out of the community’s boundaries.
Lethbridge and Red Deer are the only Alberta cities to make the Top 10. Kelowna, B.C. and Sudbury, Ont. round out the Top 5.
According to the latest Crime Severity Index statistics which were released last summer, the Census Metropolitan Area of Lethbridge was ranked by Statistics Canada to be No. 3 in Canada behind Winnipeg, Man. and Kelowna, B.C.
The city’s CMA CSI of 118.92 in 2022 was a drop from 141.67 in 2019.
Travellers planning to head south should heed – or not – the Boutique Adventurer’s U.S. listings of most dangerous cities which puts Detroit, Michigan at No. 1., Monroe, Louisiana No. 2 and Memphis, Tennessee No. 3. 3
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