Montreal’s crime rate is on the decline, according to an annual report on the quality of life in the city released last Tuesday. The report published by the Foundation of Greater Montreal also found that spousal abuse has been on the decline since 2001. Hate crimes are also lower than the national average, at 2.3 per 100,000 people, well below Calgary’s 9.1 and second only to Victoria at 1.5.
Greater Montreal’s Vital Signs presents statistics on the health of Montreal’s community life including health and wellness, learning, safety and the environment. This is the third annual study.
The study found that in 2007 “21.6 per cent of the population aged 15 and over had not completed high school . . . a considerable improvement over the 38.9 per cent recorded in 1990.” Sarah Campbell, an educator at Kells Academy, a private high school in Montreal, said the increase might be due to changes in the way students are taught. “High schools are starting to identify more clearly with learning disabilities, and are developing programs that are more individualized and focused on students’ needs. They are getting an education that fits their individual style of learning and academic level.”
The report also revealed that more people are moving to Montreal than any other part of Quebec.
Fourty eight per cent of Quebec’s population currently lives in Montreal, including the majority of immigrants.
“One reason for this could be that people from countries where French is the first language feel more comfortable here,” said Catherine Browning, a Concordia University sociology professor. 90.2 per cent of Quebec’s visible minorities live in Montreal.
The study also found that the amount of woodlands in the Montreal metro area dropped by 10 percentage points between 1965 and 2005, to 15 per cent. According to the Foundation this has lead to the creation of “urban heat islands,” areas where the temperature is higher than the surrounding area. According to the study, summer temperatures on the Plateau Mont-Royal and in the Saint-Laurent and Anjou industrial parks can be up to 10 degrees higher.
“The report card data is a compilation of several research sources,” said Colin Bérubé, director of grants and special projects for the Foundation. Along with data from the Canadian census, the study also incorporates other research from Statistics Canada and the Regional Environmental Council as well as other peer-reviewed sources.
Number of jobs in Montreal: 1.9 million
Children in Poverty: 22.1 per cent
Montreal residents who have completed
post-secondary education:
55.3 per cent
Average rent for a 2 1/2 in Montreal: $647
In Calgary: 1,089
In Toronto: 1,061
Vancouver: 1,084
Number of hate crimes per 100,000
residents, Montreal: 2.3
Ottawa: 6.6
Toronto: 5.5
Calgary: 9.1
Canadian Average: 3.1
