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Kelowna’s crime rate has been improving, but a recent study shows how much more property crime there is in the city compared to the rest of Canada and the U.S.

In 2022, Kelowna had the second highest property crime rate in the U.S. and Canada, only outpaced by Lethbridge, Alta, according to a study by professor Livio Di Matteo published by the Fraser Institute on March 18.

Canada’s reputation as America’s friendly neighbour to the north doesn’t exactly match the data, according to the right wing think tank.

“Canada, relative to the United States, with its national identity mantra of “Peace, Order, and Good Government” versus the American counterpart of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” has often felt comfortably self-assured that it is a peaceable kingdom marked by less crime,” the study reads. “Some American urban areas are as safe, if not safer than Canadian ones when it comes to both violent and property crime rates.”

Kelowna had 4,932 property crimes per 100,000 people, and Lethbridge had 5,521. The closest American city was Alexandria in Louisiana at 4,539. 

The numbers might seem staggering but Di Matteo said they are still relatively low.

“In general, after decades of decline, recent years have seen increases in crime rates in both Canada and the United States, though by historic standards rates remain low,” Di Matteo said in the study.

Kelowna ranked 9th in terms of violent crime in Canada, but 162nd when added to a list of American cities.

These figures are a few years old and Kelowna has seen some improvement. The latest crime rate shows that in 2024 Kelowna’s property crime rate dropped by two per cent.

READ MORE: Crime rate and severity down in Kelowna in 2024

Kamloops also overtook Kelowna for the title of Canada’s crime capital last year, a title given to Kamloops by a Statistics Canada crime report but refuted by local officials. The study didn't include Kamloops for context.

Kelowna and Kamloops aren’t alone in overtaking the U.S. when it comes to property crime. Canada’s largest cities Toronto and Vancouver have more property crime than New York and Los Angeles.

America’s most violent city, Memphis, still has a leg up on Canada’s most violent city of Winnipeg when it comes to violent crime rates. Memphis’ highest violent crime rate between 2019 and 2022 was 1,310 while Winnipeg’s was 675.

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