Safe Cities profile series: Key indicators by census metropolitan area
Guelph, Ontario

Satisfaction with safety
Guelph 94%, Ontario 89%, Canada 88%*
proportion of people who reported being satisfied with their personal safety from crime in 2014
* significantly different from Guelph (p < 0.05)
Police-reported violent crime rate in 2018
Guelph 844, Ontario 899, Canada 1,143
rate per 100,000 population
Ten-year change in police-reported crime rate (2008 to 2018)
Guelph +5%, Ontario -16%, Canada, -17%
Population and demographics

Guelph, Ontario
Guelph was home to 162,612 people in 2018, and it had a population density of 274 residents per square kilometre. Three in ten (30%) residents were aged 24 and younger, on par with the distribution in Ontario (29%) and across Canada (28%).
About 1.5% of Guelph residents were part of the Indigenous population (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) in 2016, lower than Ontario (2.8%) and Canada (4.9%). Immigrants represented one in five (21%) residents, lower than Ontario (29%) but similar to Canada (22%). About one in eight (12%) immigrants in Guelph were recent immigrants (since 2011), the same as Ontario (12%) but lower than Canada (16%). While there was a notably smaller proportion of people who identified as a visible minority in Guelph (17%) than Ontario (29%), it was closer to the proportion in Canada overall (22%).
Education, employment and income
In 2016, two in three (66.2%) Guelph residents aged 25 to 64 had completed some form of postsecondary education, one in four (24.7%) had completed high school (or equivalent) as their highest level of education, and one in ten (9.1%) had completed neither.
In 2018, the unemployment rate in Guelph (3.8%) was lower than in Ontario (5.6%) and Canada’s provinces (5.8%). Households in Guelph earned a median after-tax annual income of $60,950 in 2017, higher than in Ontario ($53,850) and Canada ($52,090). The percentage of families considered low-income was lower in Guelph (12%) than in Ontario (17%) and Canada (17%).
Housing and families
On average, there were 2.5 persons per household in Guelph in 2016, similar to Ontario (2.6) and Canada (2.4). Most (70%) households in Guelph owned their homes, on par with Ontario (70%) and Canada (68%). When a household spends 30% or more of its income on shelter costs, it is considered to live in unaffordable housing: this was the case for almost one in four (23%) Guelph households, lower than in Ontario (28%) but close to Canada (24%). A small proportion (5.0%) of occupied private dwellings in Guelph were in need of major repairs, slightly lower than Ontario (6.1%) and Canada (6.5%). About one-sixth (15%) of Guelph families were lone-parent families, similar to Ontario (17%) and Canada (16%). In 2018, there were an estimated 325 homeless individuals living in Guelph.
Community safety and sense of belonging
- In 2014, over six in ten (63%) Guelph residents aged 15 and older were very satisfied with their personal safety from crime, significantly higher than Ontario residents (40%) and Canadians living in the provinces overall (38%).
- More than half (57%) of Guelph residents felt very safe when walking alone after dark, which was not significantly different from Ontario (51%) and Canada’s provinces (52%).
- Women who lived in Guelph were significantly less likely than men to feel very safe when walking alone after dark (40%E versus 76%), similar to Ontario and Canada’s provinces.
- One in five (19%E) Guelph residents thought social disorder was a big or moderate problem in their neighbourhood, similar to Ontario (21%) and Canada’s provinces (22%).
- One in four (26%E) Guelph residents said they had a very strong sense of belonging to their community, similar to Ontario (25%) and Canada’s provinces (25%).
- About 14%E of Guelph residents said they knew most people in their neighbourhood in 2014, not significantly different from Ontario (20%) and Canada’s provinces (21%).
- The large majority (90%) of Guelph residents thought crime levels in their neighbourhood were lower than the rest of Canada, significantly higher than in Ontario (76%) and Canada’s provinces (74%).
- The vast majority (93%) of Guelph residents reported having confidence in police in 2014, which was similar to the proportion in Ontario (91%) and Canada’s provinces (91%).
Police-reported crime
- In 2018, Guelph police reported an overall crime rate of 5,079 incidents per 100,000 population, 23% higher than in Ontario (4,113) but 7% lower than in Canada (5,488).
- Over the past decade (2008 to 2018), police-reported crime increased by 5% in Guelph, while a decline was seen in Ontario (-16%) and Canada (-17%).
- The severity of crime in Guelph increased by 1% between 2017 and 2018, mostly due to an increase in breaking and entering. Over the past decade (2008 to 2018), the severity of crime in Guelph increased by 16%, compared with a 15% decline in Ontario and a 17% decline in Canada.
Property crime
- Police-reported: There were 3,200 property crimes per 100,000 population reported by police in Guelph in 2018, 22% higher than in Ontario (2,621) but 4% lower than Canada (3,339).
Violent crime
- In 2018, there were 844 incidents of violent crime per 100,000 population reported by police in Guelph, 6% lower than Ontario (899) and 26% lower than Canada overall (1,143).
- In Guelph, Ontario and Canada, over half of victims of violent crime were female (56%, 53% and 53%, respectively).
- Between 2008 and 2018:
- The violent crime rate in Guelph increased by 4%, while there was a decline seen in Ontario (-14%) and Canada (-14%).
- The severity of violent crime in Guelph increased by 43%, whereas there was a decline in Ontario (-11%) and Canada (-13%).
- Violent crime against girls and women declined to a smaller extent in Guelph than violent crime against boys and men between 2009 and 2018 (-4% versus -18%).
Hate crime
- The police-reported hate crime rate—which depends on police services' level of expertise in identifying crimes motivated by hate—was higher in Guelph (7.8 incidents per 100,000 population) than in Ontario (5.3) and Canada (4.9) in 2018.
- Between 2014 and 2018, the rate of police-reported hate crime in Guelph increased from 2.3 to 7.8 per 100,000 population (+236%), a much larger increase than in Ontario (+10%) and Canada (+33%).
Intimate partner violence
- There were 216 victims of intimate partner violence per 100,000 population aged 15 and older reported by police in Guelph in 2018, 11% lower than Ontario (243) and 33% lower than Canada (323).
- The large majority (85%) of victims of police-reported intimate partner violence in Guelph were female, somewhat higher than in Ontario (81%) and Canada (79%).
- Same-sex partners accounted for 2.5% of police-reported intimate partner violence in Guelph between 2009 and 2018, slightly lower than in Ontario (4.2%) and Canada (3.4%).
Homicide
- In 2018, Guelph had 1 homicide—a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 population—lower than Ontario (1.86) and Canada (1.76).
- The single homicide victim in Guelph was male. Meanwhile, 27% of homicide victims in Ontario and 25% of homicide victims in Canada were female.
- The number of homicides in Guelph increased from no victims in 2008 to 1 victim in 2018.
Charts and tables
Chart 1 start

Data table for Chart 1
| Year | Violent Crime Severity Index | Non-violent Crime Severity Index | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guelph | Ontario | Canada | Guelph | Ontario | Canada | |
| index | ||||||
| 2006 | 63 | 87 | 100 | 59 | 75 | 100 |
| 2007 | 49 | 86 | 98 | 63 | 70 | 94 |
| 2008 | 42 | 82 | 95 | 64 | 67 | 89 |
| 2009 | 51 | 82 | 94 | 63 | 64 | 85 |
| 2010 | 45 | 78 | 89 | 53 | 61 | 81 |
| 2011 | 50 | 73 | 86 | 47 | 57 | 75 |
| 2012 | 53 | 70 | 82 | 50 | 55 | 73 |
| 2013 | 42 | 62 | 74 | 43 | 49 | 67 |
| 2014 | 47 | 58 | 71 | 49 | 47 | 65 |
| 2015 | 48 | 60 | 75 | 50 | 48 | 68 |
| 2016 | 50 | 65 | 77 | 56 | 49 | 70 |
| 2017 | 59 | 70 | 81 | 68 | 51 | 71 |
| 2018 | 61 | 73 | 82 | 69 | 55 | 72 |
|
Note: Crime Severity Indexes are based on Criminal Code incidents, including traffic offences, as well as other federal statute violations. The base index was set at 100 for 2006 for Canada. Data on the Crime Severity Indexes are available as of 1998. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. Following the 2006 Census of Population, Guelph was reclassified as a census metropolitan area (CMA). As such, data prior to 2006 are not available for Guelph as a CMA. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
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Chart 1 end
Chart 2 start

Data table for Chart 2
| Year | Female victims | Male victims | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guelph | Ontario | Canada | Guelph | Ontario | Canada | |
| rate per 100,000 population | ||||||
| 2009 | 780 | 937 | 1,206 | 742 | 940 | 1,202 |
| 2010 | 841 | 917 | 1,209 | 825 | 913 | 1,162 |
| 2011 | 864 | 872 | 1,124 | 737 | 859 | 1,087 |
| 2012 | 939 | 824 | 1,079 | 744 | 809 | 1,048 |
| 2013 | 825 | 771 | 1,004 | 598 | 726 | 947 |
| 2014 | 678 | 721 | 952 | 594 | 675 | 898 |
| 2015 | 685 | 729 | 970 | 537 | 687 | 914 |
| 2016 | 705 | 741 | 978 | 504 | 708 | 910 |
| 2017 | 733 | 790 | 1,019 | 591 | 739 | 926 |
| 2018 | 748 | 834 | 1,048 | 610 | 766 | 936 |
|
Note: Crime rates are based on Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic offences. Counts are based on the most serious violation in the incident. One incident may involve multiple offences. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100,000 population. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. Excludes victims where the sex was reported as unknown. Victims refer to those aged 89 and younger. Victims aged 90 and older are excluded due to possible instances of miscoding of unknown age within this age category. For a list of offences included in violent crime see Table 2. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Trend Database. |
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Chart 2 end
Chart 3 start

Data table for Chart 3
| Year | Guelph | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| rate per 100,000 population | |||
| 2009 | 3,661 | 3,193 | 4,122 |
| 2010 | 2,867 | 2,968 | 3,838 |
| 2011 | 2,652 | 2,760 | 3,536 |
| 2012 | 2,743 | 2,648 | 3,438 |
| 2013 | 2,355 | 2,365 | 3,154 |
| 2014 | 2,550 | 2,281 | 3,100 |
| 2015 | 2,607 | 2,290 | 3,231 |
| 2016 | 3,044 | 2,315 | 3,239 |
| 2017 | 3,311 | 2,428 | 3,266 |
| 2018 | 3,200 | 2,621 | 3,339 |
|
Note: Crime rates are based on Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic offences. Counts are based on the most serious violation in the incident. One incident may involve multiple offences. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100,000 population. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. For a list of offences included in property crime see Table 3. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
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Chart 3 end
Table 1 start
| Type of offence | Guelph | Ontario | Canada | Percent difference between Guelph and Ontario | Percent difference between Guelph and Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rate | |||||
| Total crime (excluding traffic) | 5,079 | 4,113 | 5,488 | 23 | -7 |
| Total violent crime | 844 | 899 | 1,143 | -6 | -26 |
| Violations causing death and attempted murder | 2 | 5 | 4 | -55 | -50 |
| Sexual assault and sexual violations against childrenTable 1 Note 1 | 128 | 91 | 101 | 41 | 27 |
| AssaultsTable 1 Note 2 | 441 | 500 | 649 | -12 | -32 |
| Other violent offences | 274 | 303 | 389 | -10 | -30 |
| Total property crime | 3,200 | 2,621 | 3,339 | 22 | -4 |
| Breaking and entering | 535 | 319 | 431 | 67 | 24 |
| TheftTable 1 Note 3 | 1,859 | 1,506 | 1,720 | 23 | 8 |
| Fraud | 353 | 381 | 402 | -7 | -12 |
| MischiefTable 1 Note 4 | 396 | 372 | 699 | 7 | -43 |
| Other property crime offences | 58 | 43 | 86 | 32 | -33 |
| Total other Criminal Code offences | 1,034 | 593 | 1,006 | 74 | 3 |
| Total Criminal Code traffic offences | 161 | 199 | 339 | -19 | -52 |
| Total alcohol-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 5 | 92 | 92 | 178 | 0.1 | -48 |
| Total drug-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 6 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 25 | -35 |
| Alcohol and drug-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 7 | 0 | 0.6 | 0.7 | -100 | -100 |
| Impaired driving (not specified)Table 1 Note 7 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | -100 | -100 |
| Other Criminal Code traffic offences | 61 | 99 | 148 | -38 | -59 |
| Total drug offences | 178 | 146 | 225 | 22 | -21 |
| Total other federal statute offences | 8 | 29 | 70 | -73 | -89 |
| Total all offences | 5,426 | 4,487 | 6,123 | 21 | -11 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
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Table 1 end
Table 2 start
| Type of offence | Guelph | Ontario | Canada | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female victims | Male victims | Female victims | Male victims | Female victims | Male victims | |
| rate | ||||||
| Total violent crime | 748 | 610 | 834 | 766 | 1,048 | 936 |
| Violations causing death and attempted murder | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 6 |
| Homicide | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Other violations causing deathTable 2 Note 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Attempted murder | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Sexual offences | 192 | 39 | 152 | 22 | 170 | 23 |
| Sexual assault | 157 | 30 | 130 | 17 | 134 | 16 |
| Sexual assault – level 3 – aggravated | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Sexual assault – level 2 – weapon or bodily harm | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Sexual assault – level 1 | 157 | 30 | 128 | 17 | 131 | 16 |
| Sexual violations against childrenTable 2 Note 2 | 35 | 9 | 22 | 5 | 36 | 7 |
| Assaults | 421 | 458 | 467 | 510 | 613 | 644 |
| Physical assault | 408 | 408 | 456 | 463 | 599 | 590 |
| Assault – level 3 – aggravated | 6 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 13 |
| Assault – level 2 – weapon or bodily harm | 63 | 116 | 83 | 126 | 111 | 173 |
| Assault – level 1 | 340 | 282 | 369 | 327 | 483 | 404 |
| Assault against a peace officer | 10 | 38 | 7 | 37 | 10 | 48 |
| Other assaults | 3 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 7 |
| Other violent offences | 134 | 110 | 213 | 227 | 263 | 262 |
| Firearms – use of, discharge, pointing | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| Robbery | 6 | 25 | 27 | 83 | 31 | 75 |
| Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 15 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 15 | 3 |
| Trafficking in personsTable 2 Note 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value. | 1 | 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value. |
| Extortion | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 9 |
| Criminal harassment | 38 | 6 | 52 | 16 | 53 | 17 |
| Uttering threats | 62 | 69 | 85 | 102 | 114 | 134 |
| Indecent or harassing communications | 1 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 22 | 9 |
| Non-consensual distribution of intimate images | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0.8 | 7 | 1 |
| Commodification of sexual activityTable 2 Note 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 | 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value. | 1 | 0.1 |
| Other violent offences | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 8 |
| Total traffic offences | 0 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 21 |
| Traffic violations causing death | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| Traffic violations causing bodily harm | 0 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 |
| Traffic violations – injury unspecified or unknownTable 2 Note 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 9 | 12 |
0s value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Trend Database. |
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Table 2 end
Table 3 start
| Type of offence | Guelph | Ontario | Canada | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| number | rate | number | rate | number | rate | |
| Total non-violent crime | 6,446 | 4,582 | 513,941 | 3,588 | 1,845,269 | 4,979 |
| Total property crime | 4,502 | 3,200 | 375,402 | 2,621 | 1,237,324 | 3,339 |
| Breaking and entering | 752 | 535 | 45,736 | 319 | 159,812 | 431 |
| Possess stolen propertyTable 3 Note 1 | 64 | 45 | 4,854 | 34 | 23,898 | 64 |
| Theft of motor vehicle | 201 | 143 | 23,952 | 167 | 86,132 | 232 |
| Theft over $5,000 (non-motor vehicle) | 24 | 17 | 5,887 | 41 | 20,113 | 54 |
| Theft of $5,000 or under (non-motor vehicle) | 2,390 | 1,699 | 185,837 | 1,297 | 531,312 | 1,434 |
| Fraud | 450 | 320 | 49,193 | 343 | 129,409 | 349 |
| Identity theft | 18 | 13 | 426 | 3 | 3,745 | 10 |
| Identity fraud | 29 | 21 | 4,907 | 34 | 15,839 | 43 |
| MischiefTable 3 Note 2 | 557 | 396 | 53,236 | 372 | 259,064 | 699 |
| Arson | 17 | 12 | 1,374 | 10 | 8,000 | 22 |
| Total other offences | 1,455 | 1,034 | 84,959 | 593 | 372,834 | 1,006 |
| Weapons violations | 66 | 47 | 4,415 | 31 | 16,610 | 45 |
| Child pornographyTable 3 Note 3 | 22 | 16 | 1,669 | 12 | 5,843 | 16 |
| ProstitutionTable 3 Note 4 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0.2 | 110 | 0.3 |
| Terrorism | 1 | 0.7 | 58 | 0.4 | 102 | 0.3 |
| Disturb the peace | 26 | 18 | 5,075 | 35 | 94,378 | 255 |
| Administration of justice offences | 1,254 | 891 | 66,876 | 467 | 226,864 | 612 |
| Other offences | 86 | 61 | 6,837 | 48 | 28,927 | 78 |
| Total Criminal Code traffic offences | 227 | 161 | 28,446 | 199 | 125,544 | 339 |
| Total alcohol-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 5 | 130 | 92 | 13,216 | 92 | 65,820 | 178 |
| Total drug-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 6 | 11 | 8 | 894 | 6 | 4,429 | 12 |
| Alcohol and drug-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 7 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 0.6 | 250 | 0.7 |
| Impaired driving (not specified)Table 3 Note 7 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 0.4 | 94 | 0.3 |
| Other Criminal Code traffic offences | 86 | 61 | 14,201 | 99 | 54,951 | 148 |
| Total drug offences | 251 | 178 | 20,937 | 146 | 83,483 | 225 |
| Total other federal statute offences | 11 | 8 | 4,197 | 29 | 26,084 | 70 |
| Human traffickingTable 3 Note 8 | 1 | 0.7 | 94 | 0.7 | 112 | 0.3 |
| Youth Criminal Justice Act | 10 | 7 | 1,076 | 8 | 4,823 | 13 |
| Other federal statute offences | 0 | 0 | 3,027 | 21 | 21,149 | 57 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
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Table 3 end
Table 4 start
| Year | Violent crime | Property crime | Total crime | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| number | rate | percent change in rate from previous year | number | rate | percent change in rate from previous year | number | rate | percent change in rate from previous year | |
| 2008 | 984 | 808 | -0.4 | 4,303 | 3,535 | 1 | 5,882 | 4,832 | 0.3 |
| 2009 | 974 | 793 | -2 | 4,495 | 3,661 | 4 | 6,082 | 4,954 | 3 |
| 2010 | 1,056 | 850 | 7 | 3,564 | 2,867 | -22 | 5,289 | 4,255 | -14 |
| 2011 | 1,025 | 815 | -4 | 3,335 | 2,652 | -8 | 4,980 | 3,960 | -7 |
| 2012 | 1,112 | 871 | 7 | 3,502 | 2,743 | 3 | 5,234 | 4,099 | 4 |
| 2013 | 954 | 737 | -15 | 3,047 | 2,355 | -14 | 4,603 | 3,558 | -13 |
| 2014 | 864 | 659 | -11 | 3,342 | 2,550 | 8 | 4,863 | 3,710 | 4 |
| 2015 | 919 | 692 | 5 | 3,462 | 2,607 | 2 | 5,199 | 3,915 | 6 |
| 2016 | 992 | 727 | 5 | 4,153 | 3,044 | 17 | 6,050 | 4,434 | 13 |
| 2017 | 1,154 | 835 | 15 | 4,574 | 3,311 | 9 | 6,945 | 5,028 | 13 |
| 2018 | 1,188 | 844 | 1 | 4,502 | 3,200 | -3 | 7,145 | 5,079 | 1 |
| Percent change from 2008 to 2018 | 21 | 4 | Note ...: not applicable | 5 | -9 | Note ...: not applicable | 21 | 5 | Note ...: not applicable |
|
... not applicable Note: Crime rates are based on Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic offences. Counts are based on the most serious violation in the incident. One incident may involve multiple offences. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100,000 population. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. Percent changes are based on unrounded rates. For a list of offences included in violent crime see Table 2 and for a list of offences included in property crime see Table 3. Total crime includes violent, property and other types of crimes. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
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Table 4 end
E use with caution
Note: This fact sheet contains data that come from multiple sources across multiple reference years. Some figures may be presented differently than in other Statistics Canada publications due to rounding. For detailed information on data definitions and sources, please refer to the Safe Cities profile series: Definitions and data sources document.
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