Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Recorded crime per resident is lower in Montague than in 95% of Canadian towns
One of the 3 towns next door with figures records less crime per resident. On top of that, that puts it at A+ for safety, judged on crime the police covering Montague reported from 2023 to 2025: #89 of 862 in Ontario. Of the two halves, violence comes to 39.6 and other offences to 27.6, beside norms of 85.7 and 62.8. Recorded violent incidents ran at 7.2 per 1,000 residents a year and property crime at 11.5, against 12.9 and 31.2 in the typical town its size.
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.
What stands out about safety in Montague
Lower than most of Ontario
Within Ontario, the median town comes to 56.2 on the index, against 30.8 in Montague. Towns its size ↓
A lower index than most towns its size
Line up the 40 Canadian towns nearest in size by their index and Montague stands 3rd, the lowest first. Towns its size ↓
A high clearance rate
For Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people the typical clearance rate is 34%; Montague’s police clear 45%, 79% of violent crime and 25% of the rest. Questions ↓
Written from Statistics Canada’s police-reported crime by police service and detachment, 2023–2025. Figures are what police recorded, not convictions.
The A+ for Montague, and how it is built
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: #89 of 862 in Ontario and #110 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.
What police record in Montague, by type
Mischief and theft under $5,000 sit below it.
Every Statistics Canada violation line
| Violation | Incidents a year | Per 1,000 | Cleared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 0 | 0 | — |
| Sexual violations against children | 1.7 | 0.4 | — |
| Assaults against a peace officer | 0.3 | 0.08 | — |
| Firearms: use, discharge, pointing | 0 | 0 | — |
| Robbery | 0 | 0 | — |
| Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 1 | 0.2 | — |
| Other violent violations | 0.7 | 0.2 | — |
| Breaking and entering | 5.3 | 1.2 | 19% |
| Possession of stolen property | 0 | 0 | — |
| Theft of a motor vehicle | 3.3 | 0.8 | — |
| Theft over $5,000 | 1.7 | 0.4 | — |
| Theft under $5,000 | 9 | 2.1 | 11% |
| Mischief | 7.7 | 1.8 | 30% |
| Weapons violations | 0.3 | 0.08 | — |
| Administration of justice violations | 6.3 | 1.5 | 79% |
| Other Criminal Code violations | 2 | 0.5 | — |
| Drug violations | 0.7 | 0.2 | — |
| Impaired driving | 4.7 | 1.1 | — |
| Failing to stop or remain | 0.3 | 0.08 | — |
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.
By its index, Montague stands 3rd of 40 towns its size
| # | Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowen Island British Columbia | 4,501 | 24.4 | 16.3 | A+ |
| 2 | Beresford New Brunswick | 4,389 | 25 | 35.4 | A+ |
| 3 | Montague Ontario | 4,414 | 30.8 | 39.6 | A+ |
| 4 | Howick Ontario | 4,517 | 35 | 39.3 | A |
| 5 | Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay British Columbia | 4,309 | 35.8 | 32 | A |
| 6 | Warner County No. 5 Alberta | 4,533 | 36.6 | 46.2 | A |
| … | |||||
| 8 | Eganville Ontario | 4,326 | 38.6 | 53.5 | A |
| 9 | Deep River Ontario | 4,353 | 39.3 | 56 | A |
| … | |||||
| 12 | Highlands East Ontario | 4,372 | 44.7 | 49.5 | A− |
| … | |||||
| 16 | Casselman Ontario | 4,535 | 50.8 | 62.9 | B+ |
| … | |||||
| 40 | High Level Alberta | 4,390 | 324 | 498.7 | 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 Montague in population, the lowest Crime Severity Index first (2023–2025 means).
Montague’s police: about 31 violent incidents a year over 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.
Add about 50 property crimes and 16 other violations a year (2023–2025 average). The grid is 1,000 residents, a coloured dot for each incident a year at these rates.
Three years of Montague’s crime index
Crime Severity Index
The middle year, 2024, was the heaviest at 31.4; 2023 was lightest, at 29.8. For the typical Canadian town its size, 2023 gave 74.3 and 2025 gave 64.2.
Every year as a table
| Year | Montague | Typical town its size |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 31.4 | 64.2 |
| 2024 | 31.4 | 68.8 |
| 2023 | 29.8 | 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 Montague, each year, against the typical Canadian town its size.
Crime in the places around Montague
| Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montague | 4,414 | 30.8 | 39.6 | A+ |
| Smiths Falls | 11,093 | 105.1 | 147.6 | C− |
| Merrickville | 3,411 | 35.2 | 36.4 | A |
| Drummond/North Elmsley | 8,817 | 28.8 | 34.8 | A+ |
Of 3 places nearby with their own figures, 1 come in under Montague. Closest is Drummond/North Elmsley, 18.6 km away, at 28.8 to 30.8 here.
Each place’s police figures, 2023–2025 means.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The index’s scale. Canada’s own index has been below its 2006 base of 100 for years, so 100 marks a fixed reference, not today’s national average.
- What clearance means. The clearance rate is the share of incidents police solve, by a charge or otherwise, weighted by seriousness like the index. It isn’t a conviction rate.
- An index, not a verdict. The index weighs crimes rather than counting them: a serious offence moves it far more than a minor one. Statistics Canada is plain about its limits: “The CSI is not an indicator of overall safety and should be interpreted in the broader community context.”
- Small numbers. The police behind these figures serve about 4,414 people, so a handful of incidents moves every rate. Statistics Canada’s note: “Data for police services or detachments with populations less than 5,000 should be used with caution.”
Questions about safety in Montague
Is Montague safe?
On Statistics Canada’s figures, Montague scores 30.8 on the Crime Severity Index for 2023–2025, with 7.2 violent and 11.5 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year. The typical figure for Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people is 68.5.
What is the most common crime in Montague?
Top of the list is fraud (5.2 per 1,000 residents a year); assault, at 4.5, and other Criminal Code offences, at 2.2, follow.
Is crime going up in Montague?
Over 2023–2025 the index climbed 5%, to 31.4 from 29.8. The police area is small or partly reported, so treat the change with care.
How much of Montague’s crime do police solve?
Counting serious crimes for more, 45% end in a charge or are otherwise solved (34% for the typical Canadian town its size); split up, that is 79% of violent and 25% of non-violent crime.
Whose figures are these?
Its own police: the service or contract that covers Montague and nowhere else.
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).