Homicide in Canada, 2015 Homicide in Canada, 2015

by Leah Mulligan, Marsha Axford and André Solecki

Homicides continue to account for a small proportion of all police-reported violent Criminal Code offences in Canada, representing 0.2% in 2015.^{Note 1} While homicide continues to be a relatively rare occurrence in Canada, rates of homicide are considered benchmarks for levels of violent activity both in Canada and internationally (Ouimet 2014). Further, perceptions of safety within communities may be influenced by their homicide rates (Romer et al. 2003).

Since 1961, police services have been reporting detailed information on homicide occurrences in Canada through Statistics Canada's Homicide Survey. Using data drawn from the Homicide Survey, this Juristat article explores prevalence and characteristics of homicide incidents, victims, and accused persons reported in 2015, and compares these findings to short and long term trends. A special analysis of the circumstances surrounding homicides of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal females committed by ‘casual acquaintances’ from 1980 to 2015 is also presented (see Text box 1).

Number and rate of homicides at their highest point since 2011

• Police reported 604 homicide victims in Canada in 2015, 83 more than the previous year and the highest number of homicides reported since 2011.^{Note 2} The homicide rate (1.68 per 100,000 population) increased 15% from the previous year marking the highest homicide rate since 2011 (Chart 1). This was also the largest percentage increase in the annual homicide rate reported in Canada since 1975. The 2015 homicide rate however was 2% lower than the average for the previous decade (Chart 2).
• Attempted murders also grew in 2015 (Allen 2016). Police reported 144 more attempted murders compared to 2014 (from 630 in 2014 to 774 in 2015), and the rate increased 22% from the previous year (2.16 per 100,000 population compared to 1.77). The rate of attempted murder has remained consistently higher than the homicide rate since the 1980s, and these offences have often shown similar trends over time (Chart 1).
• In 2015, police reported 572 incidents of homicide, the majority involving a single victim (95%). There were 21 incidents involving two victims (4%), and the remaining 5 incidents involved either three or four victims (less than 1%). This pattern has been consistent since homicide data collection began in 1961.
• In 2015, police reported solving 75% (451) of the total 604 reported homicides (see Text box 2). There were a reported total of 525 accused persons identified in these homicides.

Among the provinces Saskatchewan reported the highest homicide rate in 2015

• The higher number of homicides for 2015 was primarily due to increases in Alberta (+27 homicides), Saskatchewan (+19), and Ontario (+18) (Table 1a). The increased number of reported homicides in Alberta and Saskatchewan occurred primarily outside of census metropolitan areas (CMAs).^{Note 3} Within Ontario, however, half of the increase occurred within various CMAs.
• Saskatchewan recorded the highest homicide rate among the provinces (3.79 homicides per 100,000 population). The next two highest provincial rates were recorded in Manitoba (3.63) and in Alberta (3.17) (Table 1b).
• Nova Scotia recorded a large increase in their homicide rate (+100%) with 12 homicides reported in 2015. It should be noted, however, that the large increase is due to the record low rate that was recorded in 2014 with 6 homicides that year (Table 1b).
• The rate of homicides per 100,000 population tends to be more variable from year to year within the Territories, in part due to their smaller population counts. This was true in 2015 with 5 homicides in the Northwest Territories (11.34 per 100,000 population), two homicides in Nunavut (5.42), and one homicide in Yukon (2.67) (Table 1b). Of note, the 2015 homicide rate in Nunavut was the lowest reported rate since becoming a territory in 1999.
• The lowest homicide rates in 2015 were reported in Newfoundland and Labrador (0.57 per 100,000 population), Prince Edward Island (0.68), and Quebec (0.93) (Table 1b).

Regina records the highest homicide rate among census metropolitan areas

• With a total of 8 homicides in 2015, Regina recorded the highest homicide rate among the 33 CMAs (3.30 homicides per 100,000 population).^{Note 4} Saskatoon (with 10 homicides) and Edmonton (with 39 homicides) recorded the next highest homicide rates (at 3.22 and 2.87 per 100,000 population, respectively). Brantford was the only CMA to report no homicides in 2015 (Table 2).

Homicide rates continue to be higher for Aboriginal people than for non-Aboriginal people

• Aboriginal people accounted for 25% of homicide victims in 2015, compared to 23% in 2014^{Note 5} (see CANSIM table 253-0009). In total, police reported 148 Aboriginal victims of homicide in 2015 compared to 120 in 2014 (Table 3). Aboriginal people represented an estimated 5% of the Canadian population in 2015 (Statistics Canada 2015).
• In 2015, the rate of homicide for Aboriginal people increased by 20% to 8.77 Aboriginal victims per 100,000 Aboriginal people, from 7.30 in 2014^{Note 6} (Table 3). In comparison, the rate of homicide among non-Aboriginal people increased 13% from 1.17 non-Aboriginal victims per 100,000 non-Aboriginal people to 1.31. Overall, the rate of homicide for Aboriginal people in 2015 was about seven times higher than for non-Aboriginal people.
• Aboriginal males were more frequently victims of homicide compared to non-Aboriginal males. In 2015, the rate of homicide for Aboriginal males was seven times that for non-Aboriginal males (12.85 per 100,000 population compared to 1.87). Further, the rate for Aboriginal males was three times that for Aboriginal females (12.85 compared to 4.80).
• Amongst female victims, the rate of homicide of Aboriginal females was six times that of non-Aboriginal females (4.80 per 100,000 compared to 0.77). Of note, the rate for Aboriginal females was higher than the rate for non-Aboriginal males (4.80 compared to 1.87) (Table 3). These findings are consistent with those reported in 2014.
• In 2015, police reported solving a higher proportion of homicides of Aboriginal victims within the reporting year, than those of non-Aboriginal victims (85% compared to 71%). The proportion of homicides solved by police were comparable between Aboriginal male and Aboriginal female victims (86% and 83%). Within non-Aboriginal homicides however, police reported solving two thirds (66%) of male homicides, while solving 85% of female homicides.
• Where the Aboriginal identity of the accused was reported for the 525 accused identified in solved homicide cases, 33% were identified as Aboriginal persons, and 67% were non-Aboriginal persons^{Note 7} (see CANSIM table 253-0010). Further, the rate of Aboriginal persons accused of homicide was 10.13 persons for every 100,000 Aboriginal people. This rate was 10 times higher than the rate of accused among non-Aboriginal people (1.01) (Table 3). This is equal to the finding for the rate of accused persons by Aboriginal identity reported in the previous year.
• In 2015, there were 61 female persons accused homicide, and 37 were Aboriginal (61%) while 24 were non-Aboriginal (39%). The rate of Aboriginal females accused of homicide was 31 times higher than rate of non-Aboriginal female accused (4.33 per 100,000 population compared to 0.14). For the 464 males accused persons, 134 (29%) were Aboriginal and 321 (69%) were non-Aboriginal. For rate for Aboriginal male accused was about 8 times higher than the rate for non-Aboriginal male accused (16.09 per 100,000 compared to 1.90) (Table 3).

Female homicide victims more likely than male victims to have been reported as a missing person

• In 2015, police services were asked for the first time to report the missing person status of homicide victims to the Homicide Survey (see Text box 3). Of the 604 homicides reported in 2015, 63 (10%) were on record as a missing person at the time the homicide became known to the police.
• Female victims were reported as a missing person prior to the discovery of their death two and half times more often than their male counterparts (18% of female victims, compared to 7% of male victims). Those less than 12 years old were most frequently previously reported as a missing person (30% of victims under 12), while those least frequently reported as missing were those aged 65 and older (2% of victims aged 65 and older).
• Proportions of victims previously reported as missing were similar regardless of whether the victim was Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal. Overall, 10% of Aboriginal victims were previously reported as missing compared to 11% of non-Aboriginal victims. This was true for 17% of Aboriginal female victims and 18% of non-Aboriginal female victims. For males, 7% of Aboriginal male victims were on record as a missing person, as were 8% of non-Aboriginal male victims (Chart 3).

Number of firearm-related homicides increases for second consecutive year

• In 2015, stabbings continued to be the most common method of committing homicide in Canada (37%), followed by shootings (30%) and beatings (23%). These proportions are similar to those reported over the past 10 years (Table 4, Chart 4).
• For the second year in a row, police reported an increase in the number and rate of firearm-related homicides. In 2015, there were 178 firearm-related homicides, 23 more than the previous year (Table 5). The rate of firearm-related homicides in 2015 increased by 14% to 0.50 per 100,000 population (compared to 0.44 in 2014), and was the highest reported rate since 2010 (0.51). This finding is consistent with the reported 22% increase in rate for all violent firearms offences from the previous year (Allen 2016).^{Note 8}
• Handguns were used in 57% of firearm-related homicides in 2015, and they continue to be the most frequently used type of firearm. This proportion is down from 2014, where handguns accounted for 67% of firearm-related homicides. The rate of handgun-related homicides remained relatively stable at 0.28 per 100,000 population in 2015 (compared to 0.29 in 2014). Of note, the number of homicides committed with sawed-off rifles or shotguns increased to 23 (+17), accounting for 13% of firearm-related homicides in 2015, up from 4% in 2014 (Table 5). Thus, the rate of sawed-off rifle or shotgun-related homicides increased from 0.02 per 100,000 population to 0.06 in 2015.
• The highest rates of firearm-related homicide were reported in Yukon and the Northwest Territories (2.67 and 2.27 per 100,000 population respectively). Alberta reported the next highest rate at 1.17 per 100,000. The rate of firearm homicides grew the most, however, in Saskatchewan, moving up from 0.36 per 100,000 in 2014 to 0.97 in 2015.
• Across the provinces in 2015, increases in the number of firearm-related homicides from 2014 were reported in Alberta (+13), Saskatchewan (+7), Manitoba (+3), and Ontario (+3) (Table 4). All other provinces and territories reported relatively stable numbers of firearm-related homicides from the previous year.
• Among the CMAs, the majority of firearm-related homicides were reported in Toronto (27), Montréal (20), Calgary (16), Edmonton (15), and Vancouver (15) (Table 6). For these CMAs in particular, the proportion of total homicides which were related to firearms ranged from about 30% to 40% of their total homicides in 2015. Calgary reported the largest increase in firearm-related homicides (+13), and this accounted for more than half (57%) of the total increase in firearm-related homicides in Canada in 2015. In comparison, all firearm-related homicides occurring outside CMAs contributed towards 39% of the total increase in that year. Other notable changes reported in the number of firearm-related homicides from 2014 were reported in Montréal (+5), Toronto (-10), and Edmonton (-5). For the other CMAs, the number remained comparable in 2015 to the previous year.
• In 2015, 44% of firearm-related homicides were also related to gang activity,^{Note 9} which has been the case in general for the past five years.^{Note 10} Alberta recorded an increase of 14 (+26%) firearm-related homicides that were gang-related in 2015; the majority occurring in Calgary and Edmonton CMAs (+7 and +3 respectively). Saskatchewan reported a large decrease in the proportion of firearm-related homicides that involved gangs, moving from 75% of their reported firearm related homicides in 2014, to 18% in 2015.

Gang-related homicides increased in 2015 following a three year decline

• In 2015, police reported 98 gang-related homicides, up 16 from the previous year. The rate increased by 18% to 0.27 per 100,000 population (from 0.23 in 2014). This follows a period of decline in the rate of gang-related homicides from 2011 to 2014 (Chart 5).
• The total increase in the number of gang-related homicides in Canada was reported mostly in Alberta, where the number went up by 19 gang-related homicides from 2014, for a total of 28 gang-related homicides in 2015. Of the increased number of gang-related homicides in Alberta (19), more than two-thirds (68%) occurred in the CMAs of Calgary and Edmonton, and the remainder (32%) within Alberta’s non-CMA areas. In Alberta, gangs were involved in 22% of homicides in 2015, compared to 9% the previous year.
• Despite an increase in the number of homicides in Saskatchewan and Ontario, gang-related homicides did not appear to account for the increase in these provinces. In Saskatchewan, gangs were involved in 12% of homicides in 2015 compared to 25% in 2014. In Ontario, 13% of homicides in 2015 were gang-related compared to 15% the previous year.
• In Newfoundland and Labrador, the province’s 2 homicides reported in 2014 were both gang related, yet in 2015 none of their 3 reported homicides were gang related. In addition, none of Nova Scotia’s 12 homicides in 2015 were gang related, compared to 17% in 2014. In all other provinces and territories, the proportion of homicides related to gangs remained relatively stable from the previous year.
• Within CMAs, gang-related homicides were reported most frequently in 2015 in Montréal (20), Vancouver (13), Toronto (12), and Calgary (12), which combined account for 73% of the total gang-related homicides reported within CMAs (Table 6).

Fewer homicides committed by strangers, more by criminal associates

• Despite the increased number of victims reported in 2015, increases were not equal across all types of homicides when considering relationship types. Relationship information is available for solved homicides for which an accused has been identified. Decades of relationship information indicates that homicides are frequently committed by someone known to the victim.^{Note 11} In 2015, 87% of victims knew the accused involved in their death (Table 7). This proportion increased from 2014 where a reported 82% of victims knew the accused.^{Note 12}
• The number of victims killed by a stranger in 2015 declined to 58, from 73 reported in 2014. As such homicides committed by strangers accounted for 13% of homicides in 2015 compared to 18% the year before (Table 7). In comparison, police reported an increase in the number of homicides committed by a person with whom the victim had a criminal relationship (54 in 2015 compared to 29 in 2014).
• Increases were also reported in the number of homicides committed by family members other than current or ex-spouses or common law partners. These homicides increased from 73 to 99 in 2015. This was largely due to an increase in homicides committed by extended family members (Table 7).
• There were 83 intimate partner homicides reported in Canada in 2015, 3 less than in 2014 (Table 7). The rate of intimate partner homicides remained relatively stable in 2015 at 0.28 per 100,000 population aged 15 and older, which followed a reported increase in the previous year. The rate of female intimate partner homicide remained unchanged from 2014 (0.46 per 100,000 population for both years); while that for males decrease slightly from 0.11 in the previous year to 0.09 in 2015.

Majority of homicide victims and accused persons were male

• Overall, males account for the majority of both homicide victims and accused persons. In 2015, 71% of homicide victims and 88% of homicide accused were male, findings that have remained consistent over the past 10 years.
• Rates of homicide among male victims were highest for those 25 to 34 years of age (4.38 per 100,000 population), followed by 18 to 24 year olds (4.29). For females, the highest homicide rate was reported for those aged 18 to 24 years (1.46), followed closely by females aged 25 to 34 years (1.41) (see CANSIM table 253-0003).
• The rate of accused persons amongst the male population in 2015 was highest for those 18 to 24 years of age (8.80 per 100,000 population). Among females, the rate of being accused of homicide in 2015 was highest for those aged 25 to 34 years (0.89).

Increase in number and rate of youth accused of homicide from previous year

• In 2015, youth aged 12 to 17 accounted for 7% of the 525 accused persons reported in that year. This is consistent with findings reported over the past 4 years, where the proportion of youth accused has accounted for less than 10% of the total accused persons (see CANSIM table 253-0003).
• The rate of youth accused of homicide increased, however, by 22% from the previous year. Police reported in 2015 that there were 1.51 youth accused of homicide for every 100,000 youth aged 12 to 17 in Canada, compared with a rate of 1.24 in 2014. Overall, there were 35 youth accused of homicide in 2015, 6 more than the previous year.
• Youth accused of homicide in 2015 were two times more likely to be involved in a gang-related incident compared to adults (20% of youth accused compared to 10% of adults accused).^{Note 13}

Accused persons aged 65 and older most likely to have a suspected mental or developmental disorder

• In 2015, police suspected 85 persons accused of homicide as having a mental or developmental disorder,^{Note 14} representing 17% of total accused persons.^{Note 15} This is lower than the proportion in 2014 (21%), however it is comparable to the average over the previous ten years from 2005 to 2014 (16%).
• Seniors aged 65 and older accounted for the largest proportion (36%) of accused persons with suspected mental health or developmental disorders in 2015 (Chart 6). In comparison, those aged 55 to 64 accounted for the lowest proportion (11%), which is contrary to previous findings where the lowest proportion has typically been present amongst younger age groups. Further, according to the average over the previous ten years, the presence of mental or developmental disorders among accused persons has been shown to increase with age.

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Charts

Detailed data tables

Table 1a Number of homicides, by province or territory, 1985 to 2015

Table 1b Rate of homicides, by province or territory, 1985 to 2015

Table 2 Homicides, by census metropolitan area, 2014 and 2015

Table 3 Rates of homicide victims and accused persons, by sex and Aboriginal identity, province or territory, 2015

Table 4 Homicides, by shootings and stabbings, by province or territory, 2015

Table 5 Firearm-related homicides, by type of firearm, Canada, 1995 to 2015

Table 6 Homicides, by gang-related and firearm-related status and census metropolitan area, 2015

Table 7 Homicides, by closest accused to victim relationship, Canada, 2014 and 2015

Table 8 Detailed circumstances of homicides committed by ‘casual acquaintances’ involving female victims, by Aboriginal identity, 1980 to 2015

References

Allen, M. 2016. "Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2015." Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Government of Canada. 2015. Making Real Change Happen: Speech from the Throne to Open the Forty-second Parliament of Canada. December 4, 2015. (accessed August 24, 2016).

Hotton Mahoney, T. and Turner, J. 2012. “Police-reported clearance rates in Canada, 2010.” Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. 2016. National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: Background on the Inquiry. (accessed August 24, 2016).

Maxwell, A. 2015. “Adult criminal court statistics in Canada, 2013/2014.” Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Miladinovic, Z. and Mulligan, L. 2015. “Homicide in Canada, 2014.” Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Ouimet, M. and Montmagny-Grenier, C. 2014. “Homicide and violence—International and cross-national research: The construct validity of the results generated by the World Homicide Survey.” International Criminal Justice Review, 2014. Vol. 24, Issue 3. p. 222-234.

Romer, D., Hall Jamieson, K. and Aday, S. 2003. "Television, news and the cultivation of fear of crime." Journal of Communication. Vol. 53, Issue 1, March. p. 88-104.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 2014. Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: A National Operational Overview. (accessed August 11, 2015).

Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 2015. Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: 2015 Update to the National Operational Overview. (accessed August 11, 2015).

Statistics Canada. 2011. Table 051-0056 – Estimates of Population by Census Metropolitan Area, Sex and Age Group for July 1, Based on the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2011, Annual (persons). CANSIM (database). (accessed August 11, 2016).

Statistics Canada. 2015. Projections of the Aboriginal Population and Households in Canada, 2011 to 2036, Annual (persons). Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 91-552-X.

Survey description

Homicide Survey

The Homicide Survey collects police-reported data on the characteristics of all homicide incidents, victims and accused persons in Canada. The Homicide Survey began collecting information on all murders in 1961 and was expanded in 1974 to include all incidents of manslaughter and infanticide. Although details on these incidents are not available prior to 1974, counts are available from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and are included in the historical aggregate totals.

Whenever a homicide becomes known to police, the investigating police service completes the survey questionnaires, which are then sent to Statistics Canada. There are cases where homicides become known to police months or years after they occurred. These incidents are counted in the year in which they become known to police (based on the report date). Information on persons accused of homicide are only available for solved incidents (i.e., where at least one accused has been identified). Accused characteristics are updated as homicide cases are solved and new information is submitted to the Homicide Survey. Information collected through the victim and incident questionnaires is also accordingly updated as a result of a case being solved. For incidents involving more than one accused, only the relationship between the victim and the closest accused is recorded.

Due to revisions to the Homicide Survey database, annual data reported by the Homicide Survey prior to 2014 may not match the annual homicide counts reported by the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR). Data from the Homicide Survey is appended to the UCR database each year for the reporting of annual police reported crime statistics. Each reporting year, the UCR includes revised data reported by police for the previous survey year. In 2015, a review of data quality was undertaken for the Homicide Survey for all survey years from 1961 to 2014. The review included the collection of incident, victim and charged / suspect chargeable records that were previously unreported to the Homicide Survey. In addition, the database excludes deaths, and associated accused records, which are not deemed as homicides by police any longer (i.e., occurrences of self-defence, suicide, criminal negligence causing death which had originally been deemed, but no longer considered homicides, by police). For operational reasons, these revisions were not applied to the UCR Survey.

Population estimates

Denominators of homicide rates by Aboriginal identity for the years of 2001 to 2015 are based on population counts provided by the Demography Division of Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada 2015). Population counts prior to 2001 were not available for this Juristat release. In absence of the availability of annual estimates of the Canadian population by Aboriginal identity, the population counts used in this report are either derived or projected, depending on the years. As such, these population counts are subject to a certain level of uncertainty, and subject to revisions in the future. Between the years of 2001 and 2011, population counts were calculated using linear interpolations between the 2001 and 2006 censuses of population and the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS), adjusted for net under coverage, partially enumerated reserves, and populations living in collective dwellings. For the years 2012 to 2015, population counts were obtained from custom projections based on the adjusted 2011 NHS. The selected projections assumptions regarding components of growth are mostly based on the reference scenario of "Projections of the Aboriginal Population and Households in Canada, 2011 to 2036", with further calibrations to adjust for fertility, mortality, immigration and emigration, taken from the population estimates from 2012 to 2015. Population counts were selected for the mid-point of the year.

Notes