Saskatoon: #1 in Canada, #9 on the Planet

We’re Number One!

In something, at least. In its annual crime rankings survey, Maclean’s magazine has again placed Saskatoon near the top—in fact, at the very top—of the list of most dangerous cities in Canada. Big surprise to some, no doubt, but no surprise whatever to those like myself who work downtown, and who must dodge the dodgy on our way home after dark. 

I’ve had quiet evenings devoid of incident, long after sunset, strolling toward the Broadway Bridge. But I’ve also had harrowing nights of chance, winding my way between flashing blue lights and dangerous laughter filtering from unlit alleys, wondering if, at last, my turn had finally come round.

I’ve stepped over fresh ponds of blood.

Saskatoon, it turns out, is 163% above the national average crime rate. “Pish-posh,” cried my fellows, “numbers can be made to spell anything. Those ratings are per capita. We’re only high on the list because of the number of crimes versus our small population.” One could then find oneself explaining the basic concept of the words “per capita”. The brighter denizens at this point would begin to clue in, and would inevitably express surprise. Others have already experienced the violence first hand, and have concluded that they have less need of a pie graph than security cameras. In any case, the cry of disapproval was one made thinner still by the announcement a little bit later:

RealClearWorld.com, a blog of international news, came out with its list of the world’s most dangerous cities. Only one Canadian city made the grade—#1 in Canada, #9 in the world. You guessed it—Saskatoon.

On the other hand…
No doubt this can be contested, especially given the distance of the authors of this list. They even made a sarcastic reference to the tourism industry of Saskatchewan “(if there is such a thing)”. Maclean’s, one would expect, being closer, would have a much better grip on the handle. It claimed that the top three in Canada—Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Regina—have much in common: a large gang presence feeding off the drug trade, a young transient population, a low level of education, substandard housing, high levels of unemployment, broken homes, addictions, and psychiatric issues”.

Good grief, Charlie Brown!

Where exactly did Maclean’s get those numbers? Not Statistics Canada, surely. For example, StatsCan found the unemployment rate in January to be 4.1% in Saskatchewan (a “have” province), just over half of the 8% in Maclean’s home province of Ontario (a “have-not” province). Presumably the rest of Maclean’s data can be found to be just as reliable. They might have found more solid ground with the observation of Calgary alderman and police board member Diane Colley-Urquhart, who claimed that many Eastern criminals have followed the wealth to the West.

One wonders…could those criminals have left behind a smattering of old Eastern establishment bitterness? It’s interesting to note, that of Maclean's top ten, only one (Halifax) can be found east of Manitoba.

A final observation: the RealClearWorld site offers up videos of each of the “dangerous” cities. Saskatoon’s was usurped from YouTube, and what a dangerous, scary place it looks like. Check it out. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Links: 
Maclean’s:  http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/03/05/the-most-dangerous-cities-in-canada/
RealClearWorld: http://www.realclearworld.com/lists/most_dangerous_cities/saskatoon.html
 
The lists:
Maclean’s 10 Most Dangerous Cities in Canada:
1. Saskatoon, SK
2. Winnipeg, MB
3. Regina, SK
4. Prince George, BC
5. Edmonton, AB
6. Chilliwack, BC
7. Halifax, NS
8. Vancouver, BC
9. Surrey, BC
10. Victoria, BC

RealClearWorld’s 10 Most Dangerous Cities in the World:
1. Mogadishu, Somalia (Civil War)
2. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (Anarchy)
3. Linfen, China (Polution)
4. Caracas, Venezuela (Crime)
5. Detroit, USA (Crime)
6. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Crime)
7. Johannesburg, South Africa (Crime)
8. Norilsk, Russia (Pollution, Cold)
9. Saskatoon, Canada (Crime)
10. London, UK (Crime)