Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics
Policing Services Program
Confidential when completed
Complete a set of Homicide Survey questionnaires for all incidents of homicide that are founded and culpable (i.e., determined to be criminal in nature). This includes incidents of: murder – first degree, murder – second degree, manslaughter and infanticide as defined by the Criminal Code. Information is reported as of the incident date unless otherwise stated. Separate Victim and Charged / Suspect-Chargeable (CSC) questionnaires are required for each person identified in the incident. To ensure records are complete, avoid leaving questions blank or scoring 'unknown' unless necessary. Detailed reporting instructions are found in the Homicide Survey Reporting Guide; available upon request. Verify that homicide information reported to the Homicide Survey matches with homicide information reported by your police service to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey.
This information is collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.
Completion of this questionnaire is a legal requirement under this act.
Objective
This survey collects essential data to produce statistics on the incidence and characteristics of homicide offences in Canada. The information is used by federal and provincial policymakers as well as public and private researchers. The data are also widely disseminated by the media for purposes of general public information. The information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.
Confidentiality
Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada will use the information from this survey for statistical purposes.
Record linkages
To enhance the data from this survey and to minimize the reporting burden for respondents, Statistics Canada may combine the information you provide with other survey or administrative data sources.
Instructions
Please return this questionnaire by December 31st, 2019. Questionnaires may be returned by mail (see address below) or through the Electronic File Transfer system.
Correspondence
Statistics Canada
ATTN: Central Reception
200 blvd. de la Technologie
Gatineau, QC J8Z 3H6
Phone: Toll free 1-888-659-8229
Fax: 1-888-883-7999
E-mail: statcan.homisurv-enqhomi.statcan@canada.ca
Fax or e-mail transmission disclosure
Statistics Canada advises you that there could be a risk of disclosure during facsimile or other electronic transmission. However, upon receipt, Statistics Canada will provide the guaranteed level of protection afforded all information collected under the authority of the Statistics Act.
- What is the incident file number assigned to the incident by the investigative police service?
- What is the name of the police service and, if applicable, detachment that completed the investigation and reported the incident?
- Municipal or First Nations police service
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
- Specify detachment:
- Specify service type:
- e.g., rural, municipal, headquarters
- Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)
- Specify detachment:
- Specify service type:
- e.g., rural, municipal, headquarters
- Sûreté du Québec (SQ)
- Specify detachment:
- Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC)
- Specify detachment:
- Special / Independent investigative unit
- Who is the lead investigative police officer for this incident from the primary investigative police service?
- Rank or position
- Given name
- Surname
- Telephone number (including area code) Example: 123-123-1234
- Extension number (if applicable)
- E-mail address
- What is the name of the police service and, if applicable, detachment in whose jurisdiction the incident occurred ?
Note: The option Same as reported in question 2 does not apply to an incident investigated by a special / independent investigative unit.- Same as reported in question 2.
- i.e., primary or lead investigative police service is also the police service in whose jurisdiction the incident occurred
- Municipal or First Nations police service
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
- Specify detachment:
- Specify service type:
- e.g., rural, municipal, headquarters
- Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)
- Specify detachment:
- Specify service type:
- e.g., rural, municipal, headquarters
- Sûreté du Québec (SQ)
- Specify detachment:
- Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC)
- Specify detachment:
- How many homicide victims are in this incident?
- How many charged / suspect-chargeable (CSC), i.e., accused, persons are identified in this incident?
- Number of CSCs:
- CSCs not identified, i.e., incident is not cleared
- What was the incident date, i.e., the date of attack
Note: If the exact date is unknown, provide an estimated date. In the case of a missing person, report the date the victim was last seen alive or was reported missing.- Year / Month / Day
- What was the report date, i.e., date when incident determined to be a homicide?
- Year / Month / Day
- 9. In what time frame did the incident occur?
- From 00:01 to 04:00
- From 04:01 to 08:00
- From 08:01 to 12:00
- From 12:01 to 16:00
- From 16:01 to 20:00
- From 20:01 to 24:00
- Unknown
- 10. What is the location type where the incident occurred?
- Residential location
- Single home, house, townhouse
- Dwelling unit, e.g., apartment, rooming house, dormitory
- Commercial dwelling unit, e.g., hotel, motel, bed & breakfast
- Nursing home, e.g., long-term care facility
- Retirement home, e.g., assisted or supportive living residence
- Community group home
- Non-residential location
- Private property structure – Go to question 12
- New or used car dealership – Go to question 12
- Bank or other financial institution – Go to question 12
- Convenience store – Go to question 12
- Gas station – Go to question 12
- School, during supervised activity – Go to question 12
- School, not during supervised activity – Go to question 12
- University/College – Go to question 12
- Other commercial / corporate place – Go to question 12
- Other non-commercial / corporate place, i.e., public institution – Go to question 12
- Parking lot – Go to question 12
- Transit bus / Bus shelter – Go to question 12
- Subway / Subway station – Go to question 12
- Other public transportation or connected facility – Go to question 12
- Street, road, highway – Go to question 12
- Open area – Go to question 12
- Construction site – Go to question 12
- Bar, restaurant, after-hours club – Go to question 12
- Religious institution – Go to question 12
- Hospital – Go to question 12
- Pharmacy – Go to question 12
- Correctional institution – Go to question 12
- Halfway house / Young offender group home – Go to question 12
- Homeless shelter / Mission – Go to question 12
- Privately owned vehicle – Go to question 12
- Taxi, limousine – Go to question 12
- Other location type – Specify location type: – Go to question 12
- OR
- Unknown – Go to question 12
- What was the occupancy status of the residence where the incident occurred?
Note: Occupancy status for dwelling unit and commercial dwelling unit is based on whether the victims and/or the charged / suspect-chargeables (CSCs) reside in the same unit where the incident occurred.- Joint occupancy by one or more victims and any CSC
- Occupied by one or more victims, but not occupied by any CSC
- Occupied by any CSC, but not occupied by any victim
- Occupied by any victim, and unknown if occupied by any CSC
- Not occupied by any victim, and unknown if occupied by any CSC
- Neither any victim nor any CSC were occupants
- Unknown
- Is the geographic location where the incident occurred on-reserve or off-reserve ?
Occurred on-reserve: refers to where the geographic location where the incident occurred is within an area, i.e., a census subdivision (CSD), legally affiliated with First Nations or Indian bands such as: Indian reserve (IRI), Indian settlement (S-É), Indian government district (IGD), terres réservées aux Cris (TC), terres réservées aux Naskapis (TK) and Nisga'a land (NL).
Occurred off-reserve: refers to where the geographic location where the incident occurred is in an area, i.e., a CSD, not defined as on-reserve.
Note: If the police service jurisdiction in which the incident occurred does not have any on-reserve areas within its boundaries, select Occurred off-reserve. For more information about determining on-reserve or off-reserve locations, consult the Homicide Survey Reporting Guide.- Occurred on-reserve
- Occurred off-reserve
- Unknown
- What is the street address where the incident occurred?
Note: If the specific street address is not available, provide the nearest intersecting street names.- Specific street address
- Street number
- Street name
- Apartment/unit
- Street direction
- Street type
- OR
- Nearest intersecting streets
- Nearest intersecting street name 1
- Street direction 1
- Street type 1
- Nearest intersecting street name 2
- Street direction 2
- Street type 2
- What is the city, postal code, county or reserve where the incident occurred?
- City, town, village
- Postal code (Example: A9A 9A9)
- County, township, rural municipality (if applicable)
- Reserve (if applicable)
- What are the X-Y coordinates of the location where the incident occurred?
- Latitude (X-Coordinate)
- Longitude (Y-Coordinate)
- What is the most serious violation of the incident?
- Murder – first degree
- Murder – second degree
- Manslaughter
- Infanticide
- What is the incident clearance status ?
Select only one.- Not cleared
- Still under investigation – Go to question 19
- Insufficient evidence to proceed – Go to question 19
- Cleared by charge or charges recommended – Submit CSC form(s)
- Cleared by charge (includes charges recommended)
- Charges recommended but all declined by Crown
- Cleared otherwise – Submit CSC form(s)
- Suicide of the CSC
- Death of the CSC (not suicide)
- Reason beyond control of the department (policy)
- Diplomatic immunity
- CSC is under 12 years of age
- Committal of the CSC to a mental health facility
- CSC outside Canada, cannot be returned
- CSC involved in other incidents
- CSC is already sentenced
- Departmental discretion
- Diversionary program
- Incident cleared by a lesser statute
- Incident cleared by other municipal / provincial / federal agency
- What is the clearance date of the incident?
Note: The clearance date of the incident cannot be before the incident date, i.e., date of attack, or the report date, i.e., date when incident determined to be a homicide.- Year / Month / Day
- What was the most serious related offence committed by the charged / suspect-chargeables (CSCs) that led to the incident?
Note: A CSC does not have to be identified to provide a response to this question. There must be a direct and immediate connection between the related offence and the incident itself.
Select only one.- No related offence associated with the incident, i.e., intent to commit the homicide from the outset
- Crime against the person
- Sexual assault violation, i.e., aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, other sexual assault
- Other sexual violations, e.g., exploitation, invitation to sexual touching, incest, corruption of morals, etc.
- Assault, i.e., aggravated assault, assault with a weapon causing bodily harm, assault level 1, all other types of assault
- Kidnapping, abduction, or forcible confinement
- Trafficking of persons
- Hostage taking
- Robbery – personal
- Robbery – bank, other commercial institution
- Commodification of sexual activities, e.g., obtaining sexual services, procuring
- Harassment, e.g., criminal harassment, harassing communications
- Utter threats to person
- Other crime against the person
- Crime against property
- Arson
- Break and enter
- Theft
- Fraud
- Mischief
- Other crime against property
- Other offences
- Other Criminal Code offence, e.g., gaming, betting, offensive weapons, other Criminal Code not otherwise specified above
- Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) or Cannabis Act offence
- Other federal or provincial statute
- OR
- Unknown
- Was the incident related to illegal drug trade activities?
Note: Refers to if the incident was related to the illegal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) or Cannabis Act offences for: possession, trafficking, import/export, and production of illegal drugs. This question does not refer to whether any CSC, and/or victim, were under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.- Yes
- Suspected
- No – Go to question 22
- What type of drugs were associated with the illegal drug trade activities in this incident?
Note: This question does not refer to whether the CSC and/or victims were under the influence of these drugs at the time of the incident.
Select all that apply.- Heroin
- Cocaine, and cocaine derivatives, e.g., crack cocaine
- Fentanyl, and fentanyl derivatives, e.g., carfentanil
- Other opioids (other than heroin and fentanyl), e.g., morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone
- Meth / crystal meth, i.e., methamphetamine
- Ecstasy / MDMA, i.e., mehylenedioxymethamphetamine
- Other dissociative or hallucinogenic drugs, e.g., PCP, LSD, GHB, ketamine
- Cannabis and cannabis derivatives
- Other controlled drugs and substances
- Related to illegal drug trade – types of drugs unknown
- Was the incident related to organized crime / street gang involvement?
Note: Refers to incidents committed by, and for the benefit of, a criminal organization. Differences in the number of organized crime / street gang related homicide incidents reported to the UCR survey and Homicide Survey will result in a follow-up from Statistics Canada.- Yes
- Suspected
- No
- Was the incident related to a terrorist or security threat group?
Note: Refers to incidents committed in relation to, in whole or in part, political, religious, or ideological purpose, objective, or cause, with the intention of intimidating the public, or a segment of the public, with regard to its security.- Yes
- Suspected
- No
- Was the incident motivated by hate ?
Note: Refers to incidents motivated by hate based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or any other similar factor. Differences in the number of homicide incidents motivated by hate reported to the UCR survey and to the Homicide Survey will result in a follow-up from Statistics Canada.- Yes
- Suspected
- No – Go to question 26
- What was the principal factor that motivated the hate crime?
Note: If more than one option could apply, report the principal factor motivating the incident.
Select only one.- Race/ethnicity
- Includes race, colour, nationality or ethnic origin
- Religion
- Sexual orientation
- Includes bisexual, heterosexual, homosexual, asexual, pansexual and unknown sexual orientation
- Language
- Mental or physical disability
- Sex
- Includes transgender and intersex
- Age
- Other similar factor, e.g., political motivation, person in uniform
- What was the primary apparent motive related to the incident?
Note: If more than one option applies, report the apparent motive most relevant to the incident. If, after an investigation, no apparent motive was determined, select No apparent motive. In incidents where the apparent motive cannot be determined because the incident is not cleared, or involves unidentified remains, select Unknown.
Select only one.- No apparent motive, i.e., where the investigation has not determined an apparent motive
- Hate motivation
- Terrorism or security threat
- Illegal drug trade activities, e.g., possession, trafficking, import/export, and production of illegal drugs
- Concealment of a child, e.g., killing and hiding a newborn
- Intent to conceal information or actions
- Assisting a suicide, i.e., not in relation to legal application of medical assistance in dying
- Euthanasia, i.e., not in relation to legal application of medical assistance in dying
- Sexual motivation
- Custody dispute, e.g., access to children
- Settling of accounts or debts, e.g., drug or gang-related debts, gambling debts
- Financial gain or protection of assets
- Revenge
- Jealousy or envy
- Argument or quarrel
- Frustration, anger, despair
- Fear of apprehension
- Personal protection, e.g., battered spouse
- Honour based
- Other primary apparent motive – Specify motive:
- OR
- Unknown
- Did a child or youth witness the incident?
Includes witnesses under the age of 18 at the time of the incident, whether or not they were related to any victim or CSC in the incident.- Yes
- No
- Unknown
- Provide the narrative for this homicide incident.
Note: In the lead investigators own words, provide greater detail of the circumstances and the events leading up to the incident.
Waiver
Statistics Canada is seeking your permission to publish data from this survey for your police service. This permission must be provided by someone with the authority to provide consent on behalf of your organization.
- Do you provide consent on behalf of your police service to the Chief Statistician of Canada to authorize the release and publication of aggregated data reported on the Homicide Survey questionnaires for this incident, i.e., Incident, Victim, Charged / Suspect-chargeable, Supplemental Policing Victim, and Supplemental Correctional Worker Victim questionnaires, excluding personal identifiers, e.g., name, date of birth, FPS number, to the public?
Aggregated data may directly or indirectly identify your police service. It is understood that this permission may be rescinded at any time by telephoning the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics and then confirming by letter.- Yes, I agree
- No, I do not agree
- Please provide contact information for the person with the authority to provide consent on behalf of your organization.
- First Name
- Last Name
- Title
- Email address
- Example: user@example.gov.ca
- Telephone number (including area code)
- Example: 123-123-1234
- Extension number (if applicable)
- Fax number (including area code)
- Example: 123-123-1234
- Name of police service / special investigations unit
- Detachment (if applicable)
- Date (year / month / day)