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Ontario records highest rate of hate crimes

Ontario recorded the highest rate of police-reported hate crimes in 2010, according to Statistics Canada. Ontario came in with 5.7 incidents per 100,000 population, followed by Manitoba (4.6) and British Columbia (4.0).

Ontario recorded the highest rate of police-reported hate crimes in 2010, according to Statistics Canada.

Ontario came in with  5.7 incidents per 100,000 population, followed by Manitoba (4.6) and British Columbia (4.0). The lowest rates were reported in Newfoundland and Labrador (one) and Prince Edward Island (1.4).

The census metropolitan areas with the highest rates of hate crime in 2010 were all in Ontario: Guelph, Ottawa, Peterborough, Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo, London, Barrie, Hamilton and Toronto.

Decreases in the rates of police-reported hate crime in the Toronto, Vancouver and Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo CMAs drove the decline in the national rate in 2010.

Canadian police services reported 1,401 hate crimes in 2010, or 4.1 hate crimes per 100,000 population. This rate was 18-per-cent lower than in 2009 and followed two consecutive annual increases.

Most of the decrease in 2010 was a result of a drop in violent hate crimes, which accounted for about 1-in-3 hate crimes. Non-violent hate crimes, primarily mischief, were relatively stable in 2010.

In 2010, three primary motivations accounted for more than 95 per cent of hate crimes. The 707 hate crimes motivated by race or ethnicity accounted for just over half of all incidents. Of these incidents, one-third were violent.

Police reported 395 hate crimes motivated by religion, of which 17 per cent were violent in nature. A further 218 were motivated by sexual orientation, of which two-thirds were violent.

That being said, there was a noted decline in hate crimes motivated by race or ethnicity and by religion.

From 2009 to 2010, the rate of hate crimes motivated by race or ethnicity were down 20 per cent, while those motivated by religion were down 17 per cent. 

Hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation were relatively stable.

Blacks continued to be the most commonly targeted race or ethnic group in 2010. Police reported 271 hate crimes against Blacks, which represented about 4-in-10 incidents motivated by race or ethnicity.

Arabs or West Asians at 11 per cent and South Asians at 10 per cent were the second and third most frequently targeted race or ethnic groups. The rate of hate crimes against all major race or ethnicity categories declined.

Police reported 204 hate crimes against the Jewish faith in 2010, accounting for just over half of all religiously-motivated incidents. The rate of hate crimes against the Jewish faith declined 38 per cent, while increases were reported for hate crimes committed against the Muslim faith (an increase of 26 per cent) and the Catholic faith (an increase of 32 per cent).

Posted by Jenny Jelen