Canada : Safety by City
- Abbotsford
- Brampton
- Burnaby
- Calgary
- Coquitlam
- Edmonton
- Halifax
- Hamilton
- Kelowna
- Kitchener
- Mississauga
- Montreal
- Nanaimo
- Niagara Falls
- Oshawa
- Ottawa
- Quebec City
- Red Deer
- Regina
- Saskatoon
- Thunder Bay
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Victoria
- Windsor
- Winnipeg
Vancouver is the most populous city in British Columbia and it is one of the best five cities in the world according to the quality of life.
Vancouver is unlike any other city due to its location between the water and mountains which increases its natural beauty.
For the tourists that are interested in culture and education, Vancouver is a cultural center with many theatres, museums and art galleries like the Arts Club Theatre Company,
Touchstone Theatre, The Firehall Arts Centre, the Vancouver Maritime Museum and the Contemporary Art Gallery to mention just a few.
All the others, who want to shop and enjoy the food and nightlife, there are shopping centers, live entertainment, and restaurants among many more attractions.
Warnings & Dangers in Vancouver
OVERALL RISK: LOW
Even though some minor crimes are recorded in Vancouver, major crimes are very unlikely and rare. That is why personal safety in Vancouver is at a very high level, particularly, when tourists are in question.
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
You can travel via various ways of transport in Vancouver, and some of them are Rapid transit trains both above and below ground or TransLink bus service during the day. All means of transports and taxis are not considered dangerous in Vancouver.
PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
As in every major city, the risks of being pickpocketed are higher on crowded streets and destinations like Stanley ark and the waterfront area in Vancouver.
NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
There is a possible risk of earthquakes in Vancouver due to its location. The previous history of this place, where the world's largest earthquakes have occurred in whole British Columbia, shows that there is a chance of an earthquake within the next 50 years.
MUGGING RISK: LOW
Mugging and kidnapping are very rare in Vancouver and there are no records of a tourist being kidnapped. Nevertheless, there are urban areas that should not be visited during the nighttime.
TERRORISM RISK: LOW
Terrorist attacks occurred on numerous occasions in the country's history and can never be foretold. Nowadays, the risk of a terrorist attack is improbable, but travelers should be prepared and cautious in case it happens.
SCAMS RISK: LOW
The situation in the whole Canada, as well as in Vancouver, is the same regarding the scam risks. There are no scammers in Vancouver, so tourists can feel safe.
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Vancouver is one of the ideal places for alone women travelers because it is crime-free when women are in question. However, female tourists need to be watchful at night if they happen to be alone, and bear in mind that it is illegal to carry pepper spray or tear gas in Canada.
So... How Safe Is Vancouver Really?
Magnificent mountains, ocean, and forests make Vancouver one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Friendly Canadians made this city very welcoming and safe for tourists both day and night.
Vancouver’s former status as a community drinking center is proved by numerous bars and restaurants throughout the city.
Its forests, parks, and other natural beauties attract travelers to explore the city.
However, beauty is sometimes followed by the dark side.
This city is considered crime-free to tourists since all the major crimes happen to its citizens and away from tourist attractions.
Downtown is the most crowded part of the city, but it is still safe throughout the day.
During the night, tourists should be careful because of the homeless people, prostitution, and drug addicts.
It is not likely that they will attack you, but the sight is often unpleasant.
Stanley Park’s isolated zones may be dangerous at night, even though attacks are rare.
Even though Vancouver is one of the least dangerous cities, tourists should be aware of the possibility of petty crimes and pay attention to their surroundings.
Popular for its many outdoor activities, Vancouver is the perfect place where you can have a world-class experience.
How Does Vancouver Compare?
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Vancouver | 82 |
| Montreal | 81 |
| Toronto | 81 |
| Calgary | 82 |
| Niagara Falls | 87 |
| Quebec City | 85 |
| Ottawa | 83 |
| Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | 43 |
| Sofia (Bulgaria) | 73 |
| Siem Reap (Cambodia) | 63 |
| Phnom Penh (Cambodia) | 61 |
| Santiago de Chile (Chile) | 71 |
| Hong Kong (China) | 70 |
Useful Information
Visas
There are some countries whose citizens do not need to have a visa when entering Canada, The only thing they need is An Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) if they stay less than 180 days. The eTA can be requested online, you will have to check this as it depends on the country of your citizenship.
Currency
The currency used in Vancouver is the Canadian Dollar. The best way to exchange your money is in a bank or an official currency exchange office. Some stores will accept to exchange money for you, but they will not give you the best rates. Cheap accommodation, food, and drink can be found throughout Canada.
Weather
The moderate oceanic climate in Canada is characterized by summer months that are typically dry, especially in July and August, with the temperature around 21°C. The best month to swim in the sea in July. Winters are cold and January is the coldest month with -9°C.
Airports
Vancouver International Airport in Richmond is about 12 km from the center of Vancouver. After Toronto Pearson International Airport this is the second busiest airport in Canada with its daily flights to Asia, Europe, Oceania, the United States, Mexico, and many other countries.
Travel Insurance
Either you travel as an individual or with family and friends to Canada the insurance policy is a must to protect yourselves from unexpected medical or any other kind of expenses or losses.
Vancouver Weather Averages (Temperatures)
Average High/Low Temperature
| Temperature / Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 7 |
| Low °C | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| High °F | 45 | 46 | 50 | 55 | 63 | 68 | 72 | 72 | 66 | 57 | 48 | 45 |
| Low °F | 36 | 37 | 39 | 43 | 48 | 54 | 57 | 57 | 54 | 46 | 41 | 37 |
Canada - Safety by City
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Abbotsford | 83 |
| Brampton | 82 |
| Burnaby | 65 |
| Calgary | 82 |
| Coquitlam | 86 |
| Edmonton | 86 |
| Halifax | 79 |
| Hamilton | 76 |
| Kelowna | 76 |
| Kitchener | 75 |
| Mississauga | 85 |
| Montreal | 81 |
| Nanaimo | 32 |
| Niagara Falls | 87 |
| Oshawa | 42 |
| Ottawa | 83 |
| Quebec City | 85 |
| Red Deer | 32 |
| Regina | 74 |
| Saskatoon | 73 |
| Thunder Bay | 65 |
| Toronto | 81 |
| Vancouver | 82 |
| Victoria | 82 |
| Windsor | 81 |
| Winnipeg | 77 |
Forest Fires
This site should put natural disasters up to Medium. Over the past few summers we’ve had major forest fires that carry smoke all over the city from the mountains, leading to weeks-long smoke filled skies with heavy inhalation warnings and recommendations to stay inside and close windows. Unfortunately a lot of them are caused by people tossing cigarette butts out of their cars, or campfires left burning.
I know about this! I had been in Vancouver twice now, two different years – and both times there were issues with the fires that ruined my trips. It was BAD!! I went home with a terrible cough the second time and I don’t feel safe enough to go back, for health reasons.
It’s true. Not just fires but devastating floods that wiped out our highways and sunk abbotsford.
La mejor
Bellos momentos pasamos con nuestra familia, en para mi la mejor ciudad del mundo para vivir, tiene todo, naturaleza, montañas, una ciudad gigantesca, grandes restaurantes, gente amable, cordial. la seguridad es relativamente alta, solo los sin casa sobre todo en el centro son un poco molestos,. pero es una gran ciudad bellisima.
Not -8 degrees.
The review says it goes down to -8 degrees but that doesn’t happen! The lowest really is -1.
It went down to -13 this january (2022) but you’re right on average I’d say the coldest it actually get is maybe -1, -2, -3.
ONGOING GANG WARS !!! HEADS UP AT ALL TIMES !!!... HEAR SHOTS HIT THE FLOOR...
No mentions of the ongoing gang related shootings lol and the gang wars in the area of vancouver and metro vancouver lol….
Lived here for over 30 years – there is NO PICKPOCKETING concerns here. It mentions Stanley ark which is actually Stanley Park – a very large open green space and it’s quite difficult to be close to a stranger because of so much space.
Very Tame
The only unsafe area in the city proper is East Hastings, in an area called downtown eastside. There are only a couple of blocks you really need to watch yourself on, but that’s mostly because of the risk of pick-pocketing or pandering from those with a drug dependency. There are, unfortunately, a lot of them, but even if you’re a more vulnerable looking person walking through at night, as I have, the risk is generally pretty low as long as you keep moving and keep to yourself, although its still not the best idea- one of the dumber things I did as a 16-year old. Its more that things can and do (rarely) happen, whereas everywhere else they don’t really. Also there are car break-ins and scamy corner stores downtown, so watch out for those.
The one other area that’s of concern is farther out, in a part of Surrey called Walleye, which has had inter-gang shootings for a few years. It isn’t like gang warfare in other places like the U.S. though, they generally keep to themselves and its still rare to hear about it in the news.
The biggest problem in Stanley Park isn’t stranger-danger, its the coyote’s LOL (too many tourists/ urban types feeding them)
Those temperatures mentioned are out of date. It gets hotter here in the summer than 21. Expect many days of 25-30 in the city in July and August. And in the summer be prepared for smoke – winter; rain. Its a beauitful place here and I’d say overall very safe
Safe & Amazing
Temperatures on average
Winter: Anywhere between -3 and about 6 degrees. This cold snap usually lasts from december to february and starts gradually warming up by march.
Summer: It doens’t really start in June like most places. Summer in BC is from July – September and can even stretch out into the first week or two of October. Summer temperatures on average range from 23 – 40 with the average being 28/30. (This is Vancouver, venture out a little further and the temperatures can become more extreme).
So, in Stanley Park a lot of people will carry nuts because of how friendly the chipmunks are. They have been known to climb up your leg to steal the nuts from you. This must be the pick pocketing that they’re referring to…
Bad areas: Surrey – Honestly by public transit all the train stations in Surrey are pretty sketchy and have sketchy types around, Newton & Whalley are the two worth area. Hastings downtown, you should avoid. It’s several blocks of transient types.
Vancouver & Vancouver adjacent towns don’t typically see issues from natural disasters, however some pretty bad floods took out some of our highways in 2021/22 – in the summer wild fire smoke from the interior often will creep in to Vancouver during the late summer months.
Other dangers to worry about:
Driving – drive with extra caution here and be alert. There are a plethora of drunk drivers on the road especially on a weekend evening.
Wild-life: Bring bear spray if hiking in North Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Moody any Vancouver adjacent area. Even if it’s a “small trail” bring bear spray. Bears are even in Burnaby Parks – a major metropolis. Be bear aware, know how to act. It’s not uncommon to see bears on the side of the highway when driving up to Squamish or Whistler.
One hell of a nice city.
Proud of my city. Been to many other places, coming home there is nothing like it, the feeling of this being my home. I have never even come into confrontation here in Vancouver, its incredibly safe. However, as a tourist please bear in mind the city is mega expensive, everyone including myself drives new foreign cars, so be careful driving. The city has also gotten much more populous and busy lately, therefor random crime is up, you should watch yourself just like you would in any other major city. Gang crime is so targeted, its not an issue like LA or even Seattle. We dont have hoods, we dont have ghettos in Vancouver. We also dont have freeways here, and we are the only city in North America without a freeway cutting through the downtown core, making downtown super unique. Explore and enjoy, but dont think going north of the city for a hike is a joke, nature here is the real danger. Many tourists go off hiking only to get lost, and die in the cold. We have mountains and nature as far as the eye can see here, so be smart and be prepared with supplies when going out in nature, and do your research, and never go hiking alone. Thats pretty much it, enjoy and be nice to locals, and aware that they are hustling, working and busy trying to make it here, bring your phone and open your eyes (drivers cant see you). Its a small city so you can easily walk the entire downtown core and uber anywhere else. Have fun in my city and welcome to the Westcoast! (Little secret, Vancouver is the best on the westcoast, and summers here are unbeatable).
Thanks for your detailed review of Vancouver. I’m traveling there soon.
There are many sketchy places in the Lower Mainland, homeless camps in many parts. As a tourist using the bus/skytrain to get around there’s people overdosing I was shocked at 2:00pm in the middle of the day! There’s a lot of addiction crime, traffic is a nightmare, don’t get sick
although universal healthcare – not enough hospitals, paramedics, etc. long waits in clinics too…not easy to find a doctor whose taking new patients. Climate change has impacted the weather – more snow days (disastrous road conditions on snow days) and more hot days….lots of smoke due to forest fires in spring/summers, flooding due to more rain etc. People are more rushed, rude, and less helpful … overall not a war zone but don’t believe you are not going to get big city problems here.
Perfect for solo travelers
Very nice city. Been here for a week now and everything has gone well so far. We’re going through a cold front during the Christmas season (2022) and temperatures dropped from 5 to -12 (December 21). So be prepared when it comes to weather, yesterday Dec 22, was a sunny cold day, now it’s drizzling.
Nice walking city
I took a cruise out of Vancouver and spent a couple of days exploring the city. I felt very safe walking around by myself. Stanley Park is very nice and has great water and mountain views. Also, the US dollar exchange rate is very good there.