‘Significant’ drop in Montreal-area homicide rate in 2023: Statistics Canada [Video]

Newly released figures from Statistics Canada show that the rate of homicides in the Montreal area dropped significantly in 2023 compared to the previous year.

According to the statistics agency, the homicide rate fell by 20.5 per cent last year after the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) recorded 54 homicides, down from 66 in 2022. The CMA includes the north and south shores of Montreal and represents a population of 4,550,129.

The homicide rate was 1.19 per 100,000 people last year. In 2022, it was at 1.49.

The decrease is in line with other parts of the country that also saw fewer homicides. Nationally, the homicide rate fell by 14 per cent in 2023, thanks to “significant” decreases in Canada’s three largest cities — Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. There were 778 homicides in Canada last year, with 104 fewer victims compared to 2022.

Toronto’s homicide rate dropped by 14 per …