The murder rates for key Alberta spots are out and one city is HIGH

Statistics Canada has released the homicide trends in Canada for 2024, with the murder rates for four of the largest cities in Alberta being broken down.

The national homicide rate decreased four per cent in 2024, dropping from 1.99 to 1.91 homicides per 100,000 population. This is the second consecutive year that the homicide rate has been below two homicides per 100,000 population.

In 2024, police services reported 788 homicides across Canada, eight fewer homicides than the previous year.

Homicide rates decreased in four provinces, with the most significant decline in Newfoundland and Labrador at 51 per cent, followed by British Columbia at 27 per cent, Alberta at 20 per cent, and Quebec at 11 per cent.

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Reflecting the broader downward trend in the national homicide rate, 22 of the 42 census metropolitan areas (CMAs) saw reductions in their homicide rates in 2024, with the most substantial decrease being recorded in Moncton at a whopping 81 per cent. However, among the three largest CMAs (Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver), only Vancouver experienced a drop.

Edmonton and Calgary were grouped into a CMA with a population of 500,000 or more, while Red Deer and Lethbridge were included in the 100,000 to less than 500,000 population bracket.

The homicide rates are calculated per 100,000 population using revised July 1 population estimates from the Statistics Canada Centre for Demography.

Calgary

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The Calgary CMA recorded 23 murders in 2024, down from 25 the city saw in 2023. The homicide rate worked out to be 1.29, lower than the national average of 1.91.

Red Deer

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The Red Deer CMA recorded two murders in 2024, up from one the central Alberta city saw in 2023. The homicide rate worked out to be 1.77, letting it creep up close to the national average of 1.91.

Edmonton

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The Edmonton CMA recorded 36 murders in 2024, down from 48 the city saw in 2023. Despite the significant drop in recorded murders, the homicide rate worked out to be 2.20, much higher than the national average of 1.91.

Lethbridge

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The Lethbridge CMA recorded one murder in 2024, on par with the one murder the southern Alberta city saw in 2023. The homicide rate worked out to be 0.72, much lower than the national average of 1.91.

Consistent with recent trends, Statistics Canada said firearms were used in more than one in three homicides (36 per cent) in 2024. Almost one in six homicide victims was killed by a spouse or an intimate partner, totalling 100 victims. This is an increase from the 72 victims recorded in 2023, and women made up 81 per cent of the 100 victims of intimate partner homicide in 2024.

You can view the full homicide trends report for 2024 online.