Calgary seen as safe by most, but even safer in reality

The majority of Canadians think Calgary is safe, but it may be even safer than they think.

That’s according to the Safe and Unsafe Cities 2017 poll released by Mainstreet Research, which looks at 15 major Canadian cities.

This is second year the poll has been conducted and for the second year, Calgary is tenth out of 15 in perceived safety. That’s despite a one per cent drop in the crime rate and a six per cent drop in the crime severity index.

Mainstreet President and CEO Quito Maggi explained 54 per cent of Canadians believe it’s a safe city while 38 per cent say it’s unsafe.

“The driving factor in terms of perception is: ‘what is national media coverage like for Calgary versus other cities?'” he said.

He said that’s why capital cities tend to perform better, which is the case in Alberta. Edmonton finished ahead of Calgary despite higher crime rates.

“When you hear news about Edmonton on the national scale, it tends to be stuff about the provincial government, whereas from other urban centres like Calgary, when there are national stories, it tends to always be about something negative,” explained Maggi.

Toronto is a perfect example. It continues to be near the bottom of the list at fourteenth, with 52 per cent saying it’s unsafe despite the fact it has the fewest crimes per capita in the country.

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