Canadian hate crime reports reach record high; data shows ties to quality of life

By Christl Dabu

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    TORONTO (CTV Network) — People who live in Canadian cities that have high rates of hate crimes were less likely to report positive physical and mental health compared with those in other parts of the country, according to Statistics Canada.

In a recent study released Thursday, Statistics Canada said it found that fewer Canadians (46 per cent) in these areas that saw more hate crimes reported “excellent or very good mental health” compared with those living in other parts of the country (50 per cent).

It defined a hate crime as “a criminal violation motivated by hate.”

The study explored the possible connections between police-reported hate crimes and social impacts and trends.

Among Canadians living in high hate crime areas, 51 per cent reported “excellent or good physical health” compared with 54 per cent of those in other cities.

What’s more, StatCan found that fewer women and racialized people reported positive mental health in cities with high hate crime rates.

“Individuals subjected to hate crimes based on their race, ethnicity, religion, or a similar characteristic may experience heightened psychological distress,” StatCan wrote on its website. “This is because such incidents represent an assault on a fundamental part of the victim’s personal identity.”

The study generally found that areas with more hate crimes saw poorer scores for quality of life indicators. However, StatCan notes that the study didn’t measure whether the poorer quality of life outcomes were caused by experiences related to hate crimes or contributed to conditions leading to hate crimes.

The study comes after the total number of hate crimes has climbed to a record high of 3,576 incidents reported to police in Canada for 2022.

“Hate crimes affect more than just the individuals who experience them,” StatCan wrote on its website. “Communities that identify with the individual may feel vulnerable and fearful that they could be targeted next. Beyond the targeted population, the effects of hate crimes may also negatively impact social cohesion and sense of belonging for other people living in affected areas.”

The rate of hate crimes nationally almost doubled in 2022 from 2019, with 9.2 incidents per 100,000 population in 2022 compared with 5.2 in 2019.

The six areas with the highest hate crime rates were the Ontario cities of Ottawa (28.3), Kingston (23.1), Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (22.7), Hamilton (20.6), Greater Sudbury (18.7) and Brantford (16.4).

In addition, the study found that race or ethnicity motivated more than half (55 per cent) of reported hate crimes in 2022.

It also determined that sexual orientation motivated 14 per cent of hate crimes that year.

In another finding, Canadians were less likely to know most or many of their neighbours (32 per cent) in areas with higher hate crime rates compared with other cities (38 per cent).

Regardless of the hate crime rate, StatCan found that 90 per cent of immigrant respondents in all the cities included in the study said they feel a “strong or somewhat strong sense of belonging” in Canada.

As well, men and people over age 50 said they felt a “notably stronger sense of belonging” in Canada in cities with higher hate crime rates than women and younger people, according to StatCan.

The study used data on police-reported hate crimes from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, which tracks all criminal incidents known to police in Canada. Hate crime numbers include both confirmed and suspected hate crime incidents, StatCan said. It also used information from the 2020 General Social Survey on Social Identity that was collected from Aug. 17, 2020, to Feb. 7, 2021, and portions of the Canadian Social Survey collected from August 2021 to December 2022.

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