Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives: The Best and Worst Places to be a Woman in Canada 2015.
This study ranks Canada’s 25 largest cities based on the gaps in how women are faring in five significant areas:
• Economic security (measured by gender gaps in employment, the likelihood of living in poverty and pay)
• Education
• Women’s leadership (representation in municipal governments and senior management roles)
• Health
• Security (personal security measured by the rates of criminal harassment, sexual assault and intimate partner violence)
More than a million women report having experienced domestic or sexual violence in the past five years alone. Over the last 20 years the rates of sexual assault and intimate partner remain persistently high throughout Canada.
This index is not a precise measure; the index relies on only police-reported crime rates. Therefore, because a city is ranked high in personal security does not necessarily mean that the city is the safest for girls and women. For example cities with the lowest levels of police-reported sexual assault and intimate partner violence (Kelowna and Abbotsford-Mission) the impact is still significant. Statistics Canada estimates that police-reported sexual assaults represent only 10% and police-reported intimate partner violence and only 30% of actual incidents. Given this trend, it is likely that over 400 incidents of sexual and domestic violence occurred in each of these two small communities in the space of a year.
Immigrant and racialized women have higher rates of victimization that are under-reported. The rate of violent victimization triples for Indigenous women and girls as it is deeply rooted in racism. For Indigenous and racialized women in Canada, exposure to poverty and racism puts them at greater risk for gender based violence.
Here are the rankings of personal security:
Kelowna (1st)
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence reported to the police in Kelowna are well below average. The police recorded 55 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Kelowna. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domes¬tic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Across all of British Columbia, 6.5% of people report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 3.6% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Abbotsford-Mission (2nd)
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence reported to the police in Abbotsford-Mission are below average. Police recorded 57 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Abbotsford-Mission. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-re¬porting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Across all of British Columbia, 6.5% of people report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 3.6% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
St. Johns (3rd)
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence re¬ported to the police in St. John’s are lower than the national average. Police recorded 85 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in St. John’s. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 4% of the population of Newfoundland and Labrador reports having experienced domestic violence in the past five years
Regina (4th)
The rates of intimate partner violence and sexual assault reported to the police in Regina are lower than average. The police recorded 97 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Regina. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. In Saskatchewan overall, 8.2% of people re¬port having experienced domestic violence in the past five years.
Hamilton (5th)
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence reported to the police in Hamilton are lower than average. The police recorded 293 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 6.2% of Ontarians report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 2.4% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Halifax (6th)
The rate of sexual assault reported to the police in Halifax is higher than average and the rate of intimate partner violence is just below average. Po¬lice recorded 209 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Halifax. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 5.5% of the population of Nova Scotia reports having experienced domestic violence in the past five years.
Calgary (7th)
St. Catherines-Niagra (8th)
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence reported to the police in St. Catharines are lower than average. The police recorded 181 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 6.2% of Ontarians report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 2.4% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Toronto (9th)
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence reported to the police in Toronto are lower than average. The police recorded 2,253 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Toronto. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Po¬lice-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 6.2% of Ontarians report having experienced domes¬tic violence in the past five years and 2.4% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Vancouver (10th)
The rate of sexual assault is close to the average for the 25 cities studied and the rate of intimate partner violence re¬ported to the police is lower than average. The police re¬corded 1,123 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Vancouver. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Across all of British Columbia, 6.5% of people report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 3.6% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Ottawa (11th)
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence reported to the police in Ottawa are more than double the average for the top 25 cities. The police recorded 445 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 6.2% of Ontarians report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 2.4% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Victoria (12th)
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence reported to the police in Victoria are close to the average for the 25 cities measured in this study. The police recorded 184 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Victoria. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-re¬ported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Across all of British Columbia, 6.5% of people report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 3.6% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Winnipeg (13th)
The rate of sexual assault re¬ported to the police in Winni¬peg is higher than average. The police recorded 440 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Winnipeg. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 7.4% of Manitobans report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years.
Sherbrooke (14th)
The rate of intimate partner violence reported to the police in Sherbrooke is higher than average. Police recorded 89 incidents of sexual and domes¬tic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Sherbrooke. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 5.3% of the population of Quebec reports having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 1.6% reports having experienced a sexual assault in the same period
Montreal (15th)
The rate of intimate partner violence reported to the police in Montreal is higher than average. The police recorded 1,785 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 5.3% of the population of Quebec reports having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 1.6% reports having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Barrie (16th)
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence reported to the police in Barrie are higher than average. The police recorded 104 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Barrie. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 6.2% of Ontarians report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 2.4% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
London (17th)
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence reported to the police in London are higher than average. The police recorded 291 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Lon¬don. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domes¬tic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 6.2% of Ontarians report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 2.4% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Quebec City (18th)
The rate of intimate partner violence reported to the police in Quebec City is higher than average. The police recorded 392 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Quebec City. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 5.3% of the population of Quebec reports having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 1.6% reports having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Edmonton (19th)
Rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence re¬ported to the police in Edmon¬ton are higher than average. The police recorded 769 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Edmonton. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 7.6% of Albertans re¬port having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 3.2% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Saskatoon (20th)
The rate of sexual assault reported to the police in Saskatoon is higher than average. The police recorded 194 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Saskatoon. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. In Saskatchewan overall, 8.2% of people report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years. Provincially, action has been taken to respond to the disproportionately high rate of Missing and Murdered Indigenous women. In 2007, a joint committee of government, Indigenous peoples, and police and community groups in Saskatchewan found that 60% of long-term cases of missing women in the province were Indigenous, although Aboriginal women make up only 6% of the population. The joint committee made many recommendations for how federal and provincial governments, and other law enforcement groups, could increase collaboration and partnerships to respond to missing persons reports in a more appropriate way. The report called for enhanced local search and rescue resources and increasing collaboration with school divisions and Indigenous and Métis communities when responding to missing person reports. It also recommended actions at the municipal level such as tools and services for families, and access to support networks with government agencies. The report further recommended that local police should make information about policy and practices more widely accessible, by establishing protocols with community agencies related to missing persons, for example.
Gatineau (21st )
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence reported to the police in Gatineau are well below average. The police recorded 173 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 5.3% of the population of Quebec reports having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 1.6% reports having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Windsor (22nd)
The rate of intimate partner violence reported to the police in Windsor is higher than average. The police recorded 175 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Windsor. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 6.2% of Ontarians report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 2.4% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Kingston (23rd)
The rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence re¬ported to the police in Kings¬ton are higher than average. The police recorded 120 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 6.2% of Ontarians report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 2.4% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (24th)
The rate of intimate partner violence reported to the police in Kitchener- Cambridge-Waterloo is higher than average. The police recorded 293 incidents of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against women in 2013 in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo. However, because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Police-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 6.2% of Ontarians report having experienced domestic violence in the past five years and 2.4% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Oshawa (25th)
The rate of sexual assault reported to the police in Oshawa is higher than average. Data on the rate of intimate partner violence is not available. The police recorded 374 incidents of sexual assault perpetrated against women in 2012 in Oshawa (the most recent year for which data is available). Because 90% and 70% of all incidents of sexual and domestic violence respectively go unreported, these numbers do not reflect actual levels of violence. Po¬lice-reported levels of violence are also influenced by municipal police practices. The most accurate way to measure levels of sexual and domestic violence is through self-reporting surveys. The current surveys don’t sample a large enough portion of the population to provide estimates at the municipal level. Provincially, 6.2% of Ontarians report having experienced domes¬tic violence in the past five years and 2.4% report having experienced a sexual assault in the same period.
Click here to read the entire study.
