New numbers, released Tuesday, show Regina has the lowest number of hate crimes among all major Canadian cities.
The numbers are from Statistics Canada. In 2015, Regina only recorded one hate crime. The Canadian average is five per 100,000 people. Regina only marked 0.4 per 100,000 people.
However, the Regina Police Service has seen a rise in the past year. In 2016, they recorded four criminal code offenses motivated by hate.
Police spokesperson, Elizabeth Popowich, says there are many factors that can contribute to the numbers and cause them to vary. It can be as simple as the way the officer records the incident. She also explained some cities have a specific unit that focuses on hate crime, and that can influence the numbers.
The public’s willingness to report crimes also can influence the numbers, especially with minority groups like immigrants, different races and the LGBTQ community.
“We feel we have a good relationship and we are working on it constantly to try and improve relationships,” she said. “The more comfortable they are with police, the more likely they are to report a crime.”
Other factors impacting the numbers are Regina’s changing demographics and events happening in other countries.
Across Canada, the largest percentage of hate crimes were motivated by religion. According to Statistics Canada, from 2014 to 2015, only four provinces didn’t see a rise in hate crimes against the Muslim population, one of them was Saskatchewan.
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