Edmonton has highest big city homicide rate

Leading Canada’s large municipalities, stats here pale compared to those in U.S.

Edmonton has the highest homicide rate of Canada’s big cities three-quarters of the way through 2017.

Based on police statistics and media reports from Canada’s largest cities, the Journal calculated how Edmonton’s 40 homicides stack up when compared to Canada’s other big cities.

As of Sept. 23, the city had a rate of 4.28 homicides per 100,000 people — the highest of Canada’s big cities. With 21 homicides, Winnipeg came in second with 2.97 slayings per 100,000 people.

Toronto, Canada’s largest city, had 41 homicides as of Sept. 23, a rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people.

The numbers are based on the population of the cities themselves and did not include the surrounding metropolitan areas.

The number of homicides was gleaned from media reports and police news releases.

Edmonton hit 40 homicides Sept. 19 with the stabbing death of Spiros Jerry Tziklas near 118 Avenue and 37 Street.

The Edmonton Police Service does not include in its official count two officer-involved shootings and a hit and run where charges were withdrawn.

Edmonton’s record year for homicides came in 2011, when 48 people were slain.

Last year, the greater Edmonton area had Canada’s second-highest homicide rate (3.39 per 100,000 people), behind Thunder Bay, Ont.

Irfan Chaudhry, a criminology lecturer at MacEwan University who reviewed the Journal’s numbers, said Edmonton’s demographics drive its homicide rate.

The city is young and growing, he said, adding many homicides involve drugs and alcohol, mixed with a momentary loss of control — evidenced by the large number of second-degree murder charges laid this year.

“Most of the homicides are between people that know each other,” he said.

“That’s often the context.” Edmonton’s homicide rates pale in comparison when you look south of the border.

Chicago, for example, marked its 500th homicide last week, giving the city 18.48 homicides per 100,000 people. With 2.7 million people, the city is about the size of Toronto.

Even then, homicide remains a relatively rare crime, Chaudhry said.

“That’s why we’re drawn to homicide, because to be quite honest, it still is a very exceptional crime type in our society — especially in Canada.

“It’s probably the most violent crime anyone can do onto another person.

“That still captures our attention because most people probably can’t fathom how someone can take another person’s life away.”