Instances of police-reported hate crimes spiked in 2021
The number of police-reported hate crimes in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo saw a drastic jump between 2020 and 2021 with a total of 77 hate crimes reported in 2021 compared to 54 the year before.
In comparison, there were 15 police-reported hate crimes in 2019.
This comes from a new report released by Statistics Canada that outlines the number and rate of hate crimes reported to police.
The figures show a spike across the country in the second year of the pandemic as people were targeted by race, religion and sexual orientation.
The agency said all provinces and territories experienced increases in hate crime reports in 2021 except in the Yukon, where they were unchanged.
“The number of hate crimes reported by police in Canada rose from 2,646 incidents in 2020 to 3,360 in 2021, a 27 per cent increase. This finding follows a 36 per cent increase in 2020. The number of police-reported hate crimes rose by 72 per cent from 2019 to 2021,” the report reads.
The new data shows Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo is the fifth highest census area when it comes to police-reported hate crimes, behind London with 87.
The highest census area was Toronto with 779, followed by Ottawa with 260 and Hamilton with 91 reported hate crimes.
According to the report, from 2020 to 2021, much of the rise in hate crimes targeting a race or ethnicity was the result of more reported hate crimes targeting the Arab and West Asian populations, East and Southeast Asian populations and the South Asian populations.
The report shows the number of reported hate crimes per 100,000 people is 12.6 in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, compared to the Canadian rate of 8.8.
Locally, the number was 8.9 in 2020 and 2.5 in 2019.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.