Hate crimes in Ottawa 4% lower in 2024 compared to year before, police say

A Ottawa Police Service (OPS) patch is seen in Ottawa, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

The Ottawa Police Service says the rate of hate-motivated crimes is four per cent lower in 2024 than in 2023, according to annual statistics.

The data shows in 2024, out of the 467 incidents that were reported to the Hate and Bias Crime Unit, 351 were criminal and 116 were hate-motivated. In 2023, the police service’s Hate and Bias Crime Unit, received 487 calls.

Police note that 54 people were charged with 190 counts of criminal offences, including “one formal hate crime charge under the Criminal Code of Canada for Public incitement of hatred” in 2024.

Meanwhile, a total of seven Youth Criminal Justice Act warnings were issued in the same year.

According to the data shared by police, which is listed by Statistics Canada, the groups that were victimized the most in 2024 were as follows:

• Jewish, 113 reported incidents
• LGBTQ2+, 54 reported incidents
• Black, 54 reported incidents
• Muslim, 18 reported incidents
• Chinese, 18 reported incidents

The most serious hate-motivated offences that were reported in 2024 included threats, assault, harassing communication, assault causing bodily harm and mischief to property.

Hate crimes are identified as criminal offences committed against an individual or a property. They are motivated by hate and bias, depending on ethnicity, race, religion, disability or sexual orientation.

While those crimes can be underreported, police are encouraging people who fall victims to come forward.

Anyone who has fallen victim to a hate-motivated crime is asked to call the Ottawa Police Hate and Bias Crime Unit at 613-236-1222, extension 7300, or to leave a tip anonymously at crimestoppers.ca.