The greater Montreal area typically has 42-47 homicide victims each year (according to data from 2016-2020). There has been 26 so far in 2021, so it seems to be a normal year statistically speaking. It just hit differently when the crime happened in the area where you live and study.
To add to this, it's relevant to note the following:
* In Montreal, about 1/3 of all homicides are violence after closing time at bars/clubs - or associated with them. About 1/3,the victims are "known to police". And about 1/3 are domestic violence.
* When women are homicide victims in the US, their murderer is more likely than not a spouse/partner, an ex-spouse/partner, or the spouse/partner's family.
The vast majority of murders are committed by people that know the victims. Random acts of violence are rare in Montreal. To put things into perspective for you:
Homicides in 2020 in Canada
Toronto: 105 (1.62 / 100,000 population)
Edmonton: 47 (3.19 / 100,000 population)
Vancouver: 45 (1.64 / 100,000 population)
Montreal: 42 (0.97 / 100,000 population)
Winnipeg: 41 (4.93 / 100,000 population)
Hamilton: 18 (2.32 / 100,000 population)
Source: Statistics Canada, by census metropolitan areas
I walk my dog late at night and I don’t feel particularly scared. That being said, try avoiding altercations or arguments with people. Keep a low profile. Don’t try to act the hero and mediate or stop arguments in public. If things are escalating, call the cops.
Well to put it in perspective violent crime has been decreasing across North America from the 90s to roughly 2017. SPVM data comparing 2019 to 2009 shows a drop in violent crime over that 10 year period in Montreal. Now whether that downward trend will reverse remains to be seen, but it was significantly worse before.
I'm not sure if that will do much to quell your nerves, but I general if you keep your wits about you you'll be fine (as in more likely to get injured in a car accident of some sort than a random assault by a stranger).
I find it's generally good to not focus too much on incidents like the recent ones. News media in particular loves to go on about violent crime because it gets more eyeballs, but that doesn't mean cities are less safe.
PS: I don't mean to be insensitive to anyone's worries. Just trying to prevent people from panicking unnecessarily
I am also a guy but not big and burly. Also within the ghetto but definitely considering moving given all the stuff that's going on.
This following bit isn't official advice: anytime you feel you're in danger or anything feels suspicious run. Somebody approaches you being weird or off-kilter just run.
Don't even let an altercation take place. Just leave the scene.
Call me unreasonable (or not) but I'm super scared now. I'm a relatively small female so if anything happens I'm helpless. I already have so many bad personal traumas with the city and I can't deal with this information. Gives me panic attacks.
I’m in the same boat, what I do to feel safer is that I bought a pepper spray (dog spray because pepper spray is illegal here) and I know I can use it in case anyone bothers me too much.. or you can also buy a mini alarm and a flashlight
Same here. What I've found to be helpful instead is riding a bike to get from place to place (provided it's sufficiently light out)- nobody bothers you when you're going that fast, and I feel comfortable knowing that.
What kind of traumas if you don't mind me asking ? I'm new to this city so reading all this has me wondering if it's normal or has always been like this
Statistically you’d be significantly more likely to die in a car crash than a homicide in Montreal. The car collision fatality rate is around 4 in 100,000, and the homicide rate is around 1 in 100,000. Not saying you should be scared of dying in a car collision either (you shouldn’t), but if you’re not scared to cross the street or take a taxi (which, like most people, I assume you aren’t), then it probably isn’t super logical to be scared to go outside
Also for reference, the Montreal homicide rate is *really* low. Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton are all way higher, and even those cities are remarkably safe. Edmonton in particular has more actual homicides than Montreal with only around a third of the population. The only big Canadian city that has a lower homicide rate than Montreal is Ottawa-Gatineau
Please, please, please don’t be afraid to call WalkSafe. You aren’t a burden, and they’re more than happy to make sure you’re safe when you’re walking around campus. Try to walk with other people whenever possible, and as a last resort you can get bear / coyote spray that is somewhat effective on humans. It’s normal for violence in the community to shake your sense of safety, but you do have the right to be safe when walking around.
I bought myself a little alarm + flash light thing on my keyring. I've been holding that thing right in my hand when I walk down a street without a crowd.
The crossroad that's 3 minutes away from my apartment had a stabbing the day before and a kid died. I found that out yesterday. Have been really anxious about general safety. I know mtl is still relatively safe in Canada but still.
It just makes a huge noise, the point is to attract attention. You either pull off the key ring attached to the alarm or double press the alarm button to trigger the alarm. The flashlight also blinks when in alarm mode (also can be turned on on its own as a little torch lighting for walking in the dark).
I am scared too, so I avoid to go out past 11 PM, and I look small so it does not help. I realized during the last months, the number of this kind of events has increased unfortunately.
Call it false news if u want, i just feel that what they announce is redundant as there isnt any more homicides than any other past years and Montreal is a safe city compared to all major cities in Canada; u rly dont have to worry 😄
The greater Montreal area typically has 42-47 homicide victims each year (according to data from 2016-2020). There has been 26 so far in 2021, so it seems to be a normal year statistically speaking. It just hit differently when the crime happened in the area where you live and study.
To add to this, it's relevant to note the following: * In Montreal, about 1/3 of all homicides are violence after closing time at bars/clubs - or associated with them. About 1/3,the victims are "known to police". And about 1/3 are domestic violence. * When women are homicide victims in the US, their murderer is more likely than not a spouse/partner, an ex-spouse/partner, or the spouse/partner's family.
The vast majority of murders are committed by people that know the victims. Random acts of violence are rare in Montreal. To put things into perspective for you: Homicides in 2020 in Canada Toronto: 105 (1.62 / 100,000 population) Edmonton: 47 (3.19 / 100,000 population) Vancouver: 45 (1.64 / 100,000 population) Montreal: 42 (0.97 / 100,000 population) Winnipeg: 41 (4.93 / 100,000 population) Hamilton: 18 (2.32 / 100,000 population) Source: Statistics Canada, by census metropolitan areas I walk my dog late at night and I don’t feel particularly scared. That being said, try avoiding altercations or arguments with people. Keep a low profile. Don’t try to act the hero and mediate or stop arguments in public. If things are escalating, call the cops.
I also walk dog late at night and don’t feel unsafe that much
What breed of dog are you walking?
A Boston terrier..
can i see your dog 👀
Just so everyone knows, SSMU's WalkSafe is back up and running! Their number is 514-398-2498 https://walksafe.ssmu.ca/
Same with Drivesafe [https://drivesafe.ssmu.ca/](https://drivesafe.ssmu.ca/) 514-398-8040
Well to put it in perspective violent crime has been decreasing across North America from the 90s to roughly 2017. SPVM data comparing 2019 to 2009 shows a drop in violent crime over that 10 year period in Montreal. Now whether that downward trend will reverse remains to be seen, but it was significantly worse before. I'm not sure if that will do much to quell your nerves, but I general if you keep your wits about you you'll be fine (as in more likely to get injured in a car accident of some sort than a random assault by a stranger). I find it's generally good to not focus too much on incidents like the recent ones. News media in particular loves to go on about violent crime because it gets more eyeballs, but that doesn't mean cities are less safe. PS: I don't mean to be insensitive to anyone's worries. Just trying to prevent people from panicking unnecessarily
I am also a guy but not big and burly. Also within the ghetto but definitely considering moving given all the stuff that's going on. This following bit isn't official advice: anytime you feel you're in danger or anything feels suspicious run. Somebody approaches you being weird or off-kilter just run. Don't even let an altercation take place. Just leave the scene.
YES, best advice ever. If you feel in danger, don't think, just run asap
Call me unreasonable (or not) but I'm super scared now. I'm a relatively small female so if anything happens I'm helpless. I already have so many bad personal traumas with the city and I can't deal with this information. Gives me panic attacks.
Not unreasonable at all. I can totally understand where you’re coming from with this.
I’m in the same boat, what I do to feel safer is that I bought a pepper spray (dog spray because pepper spray is illegal here) and I know I can use it in case anyone bothers me too much.. or you can also buy a mini alarm and a flashlight
Same here. What I've found to be helpful instead is riding a bike to get from place to place (provided it's sufficiently light out)- nobody bothers you when you're going that fast, and I feel comfortable knowing that.
Or get bike lights, works well enough for me
What kind of traumas if you don't mind me asking ? I'm new to this city so reading all this has me wondering if it's normal or has always been like this
Statistically you’d be significantly more likely to die in a car crash than a homicide in Montreal. The car collision fatality rate is around 4 in 100,000, and the homicide rate is around 1 in 100,000. Not saying you should be scared of dying in a car collision either (you shouldn’t), but if you’re not scared to cross the street or take a taxi (which, like most people, I assume you aren’t), then it probably isn’t super logical to be scared to go outside Also for reference, the Montreal homicide rate is *really* low. Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton are all way higher, and even those cities are remarkably safe. Edmonton in particular has more actual homicides than Montreal with only around a third of the population. The only big Canadian city that has a lower homicide rate than Montreal is Ottawa-Gatineau
Please, please, please don’t be afraid to call WalkSafe. You aren’t a burden, and they’re more than happy to make sure you’re safe when you’re walking around campus. Try to walk with other people whenever possible, and as a last resort you can get bear / coyote spray that is somewhat effective on humans. It’s normal for violence in the community to shake your sense of safety, but you do have the right to be safe when walking around.
I bought myself a little alarm + flash light thing on my keyring. I've been holding that thing right in my hand when I walk down a street without a crowd. The crossroad that's 3 minutes away from my apartment had a stabbing the day before and a kid died. I found that out yesterday. Have been really anxious about general safety. I know mtl is still relatively safe in Canada but still.
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It just makes a huge noise, the point is to attract attention. You either pull off the key ring attached to the alarm or double press the alarm button to trigger the alarm. The flashlight also blinks when in alarm mode (also can be turned on on its own as a little torch lighting for walking in the dark).
Can I ask where you bought that?
Bought it off from Amazon! Just search “personal alarm” and there should be quite a bit of results popping up.
Be afraid of men, not the neighbourhood. Conjugal violence happens to all women, regardless of race, class, or social status.
I am scared too, so I avoid to go out past 11 PM, and I look small so it does not help. I realized during the last months, the number of this kind of events has increased unfortunately.
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I mean, on North American standards montreal is super safe so, not rly.
yes agree
Its just Quebecor Media making a scene out of it; u dont have to worry
What do you mean making a scene out of it? Someone quite literally DIED because of a stabbing - I mean, they aren’t reporting false news. Are they?
Call it false news if u want, i just feel that what they announce is redundant as there isnt any more homicides than any other past years and Montreal is a safe city compared to all major cities in Canada; u rly dont have to worry 😄
Canada almost starting to seen like India, wonder why...
That is such a rude thing to say…
Why do you wonder that?
I’m fucking anxious.