Safe Cities profile series: Key indicators by census metropolitan area

Introduction

The Safe Cities profile series provides the most recent data on community safety and crime, and other social characteristics, for Canada’s census metropolitan areas (CMAs). Key indicators include community safety and sense of belonging, self-reported experiences of victimization, and police-reported crime—which are based on results from the General Social Survey on Canadians’ Safety (Victimization), the new Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces, and the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. To complement community safety and crime data, CMA-level statistics from supplementary data sources are also provided, including population and demographics; education, employment and income; and housing and families.

Efforts to promote community safety and well-being are central to Canada’s actions to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The SDGs provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity, and they were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. The SDGs mark an urgent call for action by all countries—both developing and developed—in a global partnership to address safety and security issues at home and abroad. They include a focus on ending inequality and gender-based violence while promoting sustainable cities, communities and institutions in the pursuit of peace and justice (Employment and Social Development Canada 2019).

As part of a broader effort to better understand and measure community safety and well-being in Canada, and inform action toward achieving the SDGs, this profile series provides key indicators for 35 CMAs in Canada.^Note 

Definitions of concepts and their data sources are included in the Safe Cities profile series: Definitions and data sources document.

This profile series was commissioned and funded by Public Safety Canada.

Reference

Employment and Social Development Canada. 2019. Towards Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy.