To read the Canadian media, you'd get the impression that Toronto, which most of the rest of Canada loves to hate, is a den of iniquity and a dangerous place to live. It turns out, though, that Toronto is the 6th safest big city in the world, and the safest in North America.
This year's Safe Cities Index, published by The Economist's Intelligence Unit has Toronto at No. 6, after Tokyo, Singapore, Osaka, Amsterdam and Sydney. Washington DC (perhaps a surprising inclusion), Copenhagen, Seoul and Melbourne make up the rest of the top 10.
The annual analysis takes into account a whole host of security metrics, including cyber security, disaster management plans, environmental policies, availability of doctors, air quality, gun regulation, violent crimes, gender-related crimes, and perceptions of safety, so it is not just a matter of how likely visitors are to be killed or mugged (although that comes into it).
Of course, this does not means that Toronto is the safest city in Canada - it only looks at large cities, and Toronto was the only Canadian city to be included in The Economist's 60-city worldwide sample. But it does show us quite creditably in a worldwide comtext, and seeing us set above cities like London, Stockholm, Zurich and New York, feels admittedly good. Also of course, some naysayers will point out that Toronto has fallen from 4th place last year, or that it only makes 17th place in the Health Security category. But, overall, as I've always mantained, this.is a pretty good place to be.
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