Hate crimes in Thunder Bay, Ont. 'dropped significantly' in 2016: StatsCan

A new report from Statistics Canada suggests police-reported hate crimes in Thunder Bay, Ont., dropped significantly between 2015 and 2016.

There were five racially-motivated crimes reported to police in 2016 — down from 17 the previous year.  

• Thunder Bay had almost one-third of Canada's reported anti-Indigenous hate crimes in 2015: StatsCan

The total number of hate crimes investigated by police dropped from 27 to 10.

Thunder Bay still had the third highest rate of hate crimes in the country at just over eight per 100,000 people.

Only Hamilton and Ottawa were higher.

Three of the racially-motivated crimes reported in Thunder Bay in 2016 were committed against Indigenous people, accounting for 10 per cent of the 30 anti-Indigenous crimes reported nationwide.

In 2015, 10 of the racially motivated crimes in the city were anti-Indigenous, accounting for nearly a third of the 35 anti-Indigenous crimes in the country that year. 

"It would be pure speculation as to the reason for the variance between these years," said Thunder Bay Police Service director of communications, Chris Adams.  "We strongly encourage anyone who feels that they have been the victim of this type of crime to come forward.  We will do everything we can to support victims of crimes which are hate motivated."

Across Canada, Statistics Canada reported there were 1.8 hate crimes per 100,000 Indigenous people in 2016. Thirty-nine per cent of the victims were women and girls, 44 per cent of victims were under the age of 25, and 56 per cent of those accused of hate crimes against Indigenous people were also under 25. 

More than half of the hate crimes against Indigenous people were violent and 41 per cent resulted in injuries.