A rental home search engine has declared Barrie to be Canada’s safest city.
Rentola credited Barrie’s “remarkably high crime detection rate” as helping to push the city to the top of its ranking.
It is the latest in a series of similar declarations.
Most notably, Statistics Canada has repeatedly listed Barrie as having among the country’s lowest crime severity index. In 2021, the latest figures available, Barrie was listed as having the third lowest index in Canada, behind Quebec City and Toronto. Barrie also had the third lowest in 2020 among 35 Canadian census metropolitan areas, just behind Québec City and Saguenay, Que.
Barrie ranked the lowest on the violent crime severity index for both those years.
The index, which tracks the prevalence of crime within a community and the seriousness of the crimes committed, informed Rentola’s designation. It was also a source for a moving website’s ranking in January.
Moving Waldo listed Barrie as ninth earlier this year in the country in its "safest cities to live in Canada" with the best quality of life rankings. Barrie was named best for health services and transportation in that ranking.
In the latest ranking, Rentola indicated its methodology included the number of citizens per police officer, the crime severity index, violent crime severity index, non-violent crime severity index and crime-solving rate.
“While Barrie boasts the lowest crime rate, the prevalence of violent crimes in this locale significantly impacts its overall safety index. Nonetheless, due to its remarkably high crime detection rate, Barrie can genuinely be regarded as one of the safest areas to reside in, alongside Brantford, Guelph, and Toronto,” the website states.
Saint John, N.B. rounded out the top five. Winnipeg, Man. received the lowest ranking of 34 cities.
While Québec City’s crime rate is low, Rentola points out that a significant portion of the crimes committed within the area are of a violent nature, and the ratio of its police force to the area's population remains relatively small. It concludes that when it’s compared to Lethbridge, with the highest crime index, Québec City appears less secure.
“Although the safest cities in Canada have notably lower crime rates compared to other areas, it's essential to recognize that no city is completely immune to all types of crime. However, the top-ranked cities have demonstrated effective safety initiatives, community engagement, and proactive measures that significantly contribute to their overall safety,” Rentola notes on its website.
Overall, it found Ontario to be the safest province.
Rentola did not oblige a request for an interview to comment on the findings.
In Barrie, city officials pounced on Rentola’s top designation.
“I’m so pleased to see Barrie at the top of this list,” Mayor Alex Nuttall, who was not available for an interview Wednesday, stated in a press release issued by the city. “As a council, we’ve identified community safety as a key strategic priority, and we’re working diligently to protect our reputation as Canada’s safest city. We know there is still work to be done to make Barrie even safer, but this result shows us our work and the great work of Barrie Police is making a difference.”
In the same press release, Police Chief Rich Johnston gave credit to front-line police officers and the community safety and well-being teams.
“It is through not only the dedication of our police service, but also the strength of our community members that helps to foster a safer city,” he stated
In its annual report released last month, Barrie police showed a clearance rate of 26.5 per cent in property crimes in 2022, down from 30.1 per cent and 35.2 per cent in 2021 and 2020 respectively. The clearance rate for violent crime in 2022 was 77.8 per cent, close to the 77.1 per cent and 80.6 per cent in 2021 and 2020 respectively.
