Photo: D&J Huber from Canada · CC BY 2.0Recorded crime per resident is higher in Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley than in 72% of Canadian towns
Behind the grade sit 21.9 violent incidents and 40.3 incidents of property crime per 1,000 people a year, where the comparison is 12.9 and 31.2 in the typical town its size. Violence accounts for an index of 109.6 and other offences for 78.8, against usual levels of 85.7 and 62.8. Scored on crime the police covering Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley reported across 2023 to 2025, the town lands on C for safety: #127 of 251 in British Columbia. Still, the index fell from 91.2 in 2023 to 79.8 in 2025.
Statistics Canada, police-reported crime, 2023–2025 means. The index weighs each crime by its seriousness; rates are incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Area behind the crime severity, crime rate and incident counts figures: the Ladysmith detachment area.
What stands out about safety in Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley
Mischief: high for a town its size
Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley records 17.4 incidents of mischief per 1,000 residents a year, against 4.9 in the typical town among Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people. By type ↓
Higher than many towns its size
Set among the 40 Canadian towns closest to it in population, Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley comes 30th, counting from the lowest Crime Severity Index. Towns its size ↓
Close to British Columbia’s typical town
The typical British Columbia town scores 83.2; Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley, 87. Towns its size ↓
Written from Statistics Canada’s police-reported crime by police service and detachment, 2023–2025. Figures are what police recorded, not convictions.
The C for Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley, and how it is built
How sure: Less sure than most. No detachment reports for Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley itself, so the grade rests on the nearest one’s figures, 7 km away.
The grade weighs the Crime Severity Index and its violent half, averaged over 2023–2025, against every Canadian town and city neighbourhood of 1,000 people or more.
Its place: #127 of 251 in British Columbia and #1,785 of 2,572 Canadian towns.
The Crime Severity Index and its two halves, beside the typical figure for Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley’s crime by kind
Against the typical town its size, Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley runs highest on mischief (17.4 per 1,000 against 4.9), assault (10.3 per 1,000 against 6.7) and break and enter (3.3 per 1,000 against 2.8). Theft under $5,000 sits below it.
Every Statistics Canada violation line
| Violation | Incidents a year | Per 1,000 | Cleared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 0 | 0 | — |
| Sexual violations against children | 8 | 1.2 | 38% |
| Assaults against a peace officer | 1.7 | 0.2 | — |
| Firearms: use, discharge, pointing | 1.3 | 0.2 | — |
| Robbery | 0 | 0 | — |
| Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 1.7 | 0.2 | — |
| Other violent violations | 1.3 | 0.2 | — |
| Breaking and entering | 22.3 | 3.3 | 19% |
| Possession of stolen property | 8.7 | 1.3 | 34% |
| Theft of a motor vehicle | 19.7 | 2.9 | 5% |
| Theft over $5,000 | 4.7 | 0.7 | — |
| Theft under $5,000 | 63.3 | 9.4 | 9% |
| Mischief | 117.3 | 17.4 | 29% |
| Weapons violations | 5 | 0.7 | 54% |
| Administration of justice violations | 33.7 | 5 | 65% |
| Other Criminal Code violations | 16 | 2.4 | 44% |
| Drug violations | 3.7 | 0.5 | — |
| Impaired driving | 30.7 | 4.5 | 77% |
| Failing to stop or remain | 1 | 0.1 | — |
Statistics Canada’s violation groups for the whole police service or detachment, incidents a year its own. Cleared: incidents solved by a charge or otherwise, as a share of those reported.
Incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 means, against the typical figure for Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley, year by year
Crime Severity Index
The first year, 2023, was the heaviest at 91.2, and 2025 the lightest at 79.8. Over 2023–2025, the typical Canadian town its size moved from 74.3 to 64.2.
Every year as a table
| Year | Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley | Typical town its size |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 79.8 | 64.2 |
| 2024 | 90.1 | 68.8 |
| 2023 | 91.2 | 74.3 |
Statistics Canada, Crime Severity Index by police service, each year as published. Typical: the median of Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
The Crime Severity Index of the police covering Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley, each year, against the typical Canadian town its size.
Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley is 30th of 40 towns its size, lowest index first
| # | Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bonfield Ontario | 2,597 | 24.3 | 39.2 | A+ |
| … | |||||
| 4 | Electoral Area A, Central Kootenay British Columbia | 2,668 | 35.8 | 32 | A |
| … | |||||
| 27 | Hanna Alberta | 2,665 | 76.9 | 65.8 | C+ |
| 28 | Chase British Columbia | 2,591 | 80 | 77.4 | C |
| 29 | Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove Newfoundland and Labrador | 2,601 | 81 | 104.2 | C |
| 30 | Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley British Columbia | 2,597 | 87 | 109.6 | C |
| 31 | Sexsmith Alberta | 2,561 | 87.3 | 94.5 | C |
| 32 | Tumbler Ridge British Columbia | 2,663 | 87.3 | 86.4 | C |
| 33 | Saint George New Brunswick | 2,675 | 88.2 | 105.8 | C |
| … | |||||
| 40 | La Ronge Saskatchewan | 2,668 | 715.9 | 1,169 | D− |
The 40 Canadian towns of 2,500+ people closest in population; city neighbourhoods, city totals and reserves are left out. Towns on one police service or detachment share its index.
The Canadian towns closest to Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley in population, the lowest Crime Severity Index first (2023–2025 means).
The detachment nearest Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley, 6,780 residents: around 150 violent incidents a year, 2023–2025
Violent incidents per 1,000 a year, 2023–2025
Property crimes per 1,000 a year, 2023–2025
Statistics Canada counts actual incidents; those police record as unfounded are listed apart and kept out of its crime rates and severity index. Each incident is filed under its most serious violation, which the survey sets partly by the maximum penalty.
Property crime adds about 270 a year and other violations 160 (2023–2025 average). Of 1,000 dots, one per resident, the coloured ones are a year’s incidents at these rates.
Crime in the places around Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley
| Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley | 2,597 | 87 | 109.6 | C |
| Ladysmith | 9,926 | 77.3 | 70.2 | C+ |
| Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley | 2,761 | 87 | 109.6 | C |
| North Cowichan | 34,525 | 99 | 124 | C− |
| Electoral Area A, Nanaimo | 7,825 | 87 | 109.6 | C |
Nearby, 1 of 2 places with their own figures have a lower index than Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley. Closest is Ladysmith, 5.5 km away, at 77.3 to 87 here. Neighbours policed by the same service carry the same figure, so the 2 of them aren’t set against it.
Each place’s police figures, 2023–2025 means.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The index’s scale. Statistics Canada set the national index at 100 for 2006; every figure here is read against that.
- What clearance means. Cleared means solved by police, charged or not; it says nothing about what courts decide.
- An index, not a verdict. Each incident counts by its seriousness, judged from court sentences, and the total is set per resident. As Statistics Canada puts it, “The CSI is not an indicator of overall safety and should be interpreted in the broader community context.”
Questions about safety in Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley
Is Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley safe?
Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley measures 87 on the Crime Severity Index for 2023–2025, next to 68.5 for Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people. Per 1,000 residents a year, its police record 21.9 violent incidents and 40.3 property crimes.
What is the most common crime in Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley?
The three biggest groups are mischief at 17.4, other Criminal Code offences at 13.9 and assault at 10.3, each per 1,000 residents a year.
Is crime going up in Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley?
It went down 13% between 2023 and 2025, from 91.2 to 79.8.
How much of Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley’s crime do police solve?
Counting serious crimes for more, 34% end in a charge or are otherwise solved (34% for the typical Canadian town its size); split up, that is 51% of violent and 24% of non-violent crime.
Whose figures are these?
A shared service or detachment’s, reported as one for Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley and everywhere else it polices.
Source: Statistics Canada, police-reported crime by police service and detachment, 2023–2025 (Statistics Canada Open Licence); TownRatings calculation.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services (tables 35-10-0186 to 0190, 0061, 0063, 0064), 2023–2025 · Statistics Canada, Incident-based crime statistics by detailed violations, police services (35-10-0178 to 0185) · Safety Grade: TownRatings calculation. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).