Im moving to vancouver, whats the real story on crime there ?

Question

We are moving to Canada from the UK , I have kids and I hear lots of too good to be true stories regarding low crime rates in Canada , but I have now just read a horrifying story about a boy having to be relocated form Abbotsford due to criminal gang activity that the police are struggling with.
This is precisely what Im trying to avoid my kids growing up in , whats the real story on life for kids n teens growing up in Vancouver?
can anyone offer advice , the kind you cant pick up on in 2 weeks , or recomend any areas that have low crime ?
Im really worried and would appreciate some inside info here , even personal views on supposedly safer areas in Canada, im guessing i sound paranoid here , but I'm leaving my own country which has high crime as we want a better life for our kids.
Im dying to hear your insider info on this matter....cheers.

Answer 1

As in any country, larger cities have more crime than small towns, due to population density. That said, Canada's crime rate is very low compared to most other countries, especially violent crime. Property crime is a bit higher, but still fairly low.

In regards to Vancouver, specifically, I feel very safe here. We live right in the city, in a nice neighborhood, but it's only a few kilometers from the seedy area of the city, yet I have no qualms whatsoever with walking, even at night, to the commercial area, the busline, or anywhere else.

Caution is called for, of course ... locked doors, etc. ... but coming from the U.S., I feel safer here in the City at night than I did in the small town I came from in the U.S.

With having children, the key is definitely going to be location, location, location. Since I don't have school age children, I can't recommend the best areas for that. What I would suggest is renting a motel suite or furnished apt for the first month you are here, and looking around for good places to live. Contact schools in various areas, community centers, policing centers, anywhere you can to find out the best areas for raising a family.

Hopefully some others with more specific information on good family neighborhoods with good schools will post here for you.

Overall, I do not think you will regret the move! Canada is wonderful, and Vancouver in particular is fantastic. Sure there are problems, but still it's a great place to live. Be sure and take in all the sights and activities available!
.

Answer 2

Vancouver has some significant crime problems, most notably, surrounding illegal drugs, and the related property crimes addicts commit to fuel their addiciton (break and enter, petty theft, car theft, etc.). As a port city - there is readily available and relatively inexpensive hard drugs like heroin, crystal meth and cocaine.. The region is also renowned for its potent strains of marijuana (BC Bud).

That being said, gun violence is rare (of course - with the ease of availabilty of firearms in the US - it is not unheard of and there are usually a few shootings a year - but mostly gangsters killing gangsters).

Canada's pretty multicultural (esp. Vancouver) and accepting of diversity - that being said, you might want to check out the ethnic diversity of potential schools as some can be overwhelmingly ethnically homogenous - which may or may not be problematic for your kids trying to fit in.

There can be a good amount of thuggery and hooliganism, especially in the downtown area after bars close and around some of the Skytrain stations (elevated subway system) - but nothing like one might expect in say, Manchester or Liverpool. And when there is fighting generally, its fists - not guns or knives.

The general assumption is that suburbs are better places for raising families and children - however the poor transit, spread out services and general lack of activities endemic to most suburbs, in my opinion, lead to bored teenagers who may or may not be more apt to get into trouble. Certainly some of the suburbs have some pretty horrendous crime rates - notably Surrey, New Westminster.. but it could be said there are good and bad areas in every city and suburb - - if you go looking for it.

I think you and your family will be fine - there are always lots of sensational crime stories in the media - but that's what sells papers!

My advice though, as an immigrant myself who came here as a child - is that as parents you should endeavour to make friends with Canadianized parents of similarly aged children. My UK emmigrating parents were completely clueless as to teenage life here - and I would imagine your kids will have a much better grasp of cultural norms and idiosyncracies well before you do.

Answer 3

The area with the highest crime rate within Vancouver would probably be an area called Downtown Eastside. An article about downtown eastside is available on Wikipedia.org

Answer 4

Hello,
I live outside of Vancouver area. lollerskates- was right about what he said!
Vancouver can be bad in some parts, and other pretty good. Like all cities, so just be careful and always lock up.
There are so many beautiful spots to see.
http://www.vancouver-bc.com/
http://www.discovervancouver.com/
http://www.vanstart.com/