Murder toll hits historic high
Homicides spike to 122 just one year after decline
By Stephane Massinon, Calgary Herald January 9,
Led by 67 deaths in Calgary and Edmonton, and another 53 in RCMP jurisdictions, the past year topped the provincial mark of 108 recorded in 2005, according to data compiled by the Herald.
Those murders, and two in Lethbridge, add up to more killings in the province than there have ever been, according to Statistics Canada numbers dating back to 1961. While Edmonton and Calgary's numbers have remained stable over recent years, the spike across the province helped push the total to a dubious record.
The most common reason cited for the increase is the increase in population.
"Not to sound glib or trite about it, but there's obviously more people killing more people," said RCMP Cpl. Wayne Oakes.
But explaining why the province recorded so many murders last year remains an inexact science, say experts.
In districts policed by the Mounties--rural Alberta, but also the cities of Red Deer and Fort McMurray -- there was a large increase in homicides the year after a large decrease. Both are believed to be anomalies.
Alberta's murder rate for 2008 stands at 3.7 per 100,000.
That's well above the national average of 1.8 for 2007.
In recent years, the highest Alberta rate was 3.5 in 2005.
Oakes said explaining the number of murders last year is as difficult as explaining why there were so few in 2007. Alberta had only 23 killings in RCMP territory in 2007 and, according to Statistics Canada, a total of 88 in the province.
As has been the trend in recent years, there were more killings in northern Alberta than in the southern part of the province.
"It's hard to say why you're going to have homicides in one community but not in the next," said Oakes.
"They are up," said Calgary-Hays MLA Art Johnston, a former police officer.
"The gang activity is more prevalent than when I left policing six years."
Johnston said there are a number of initiatives undertaken by the province to help address crime, such as his safer communities legislation.
"I am concerned, like anyone else," he said.
In Calgary, a quarter of the city's homicides were gang-related, but many homicide motives remain unknown and could push the two other leading causes--domestic/family killings and confrontations--to the forefront.
In RCMP territory, 14 of 53 homicides were domestic or family killings, while seven were considered gang-related and five drug-related,
Mount Royal College criminologist John Winterdyk said the domestic and family murders could be tied to the stress of difficult economic times.
"It tends to create tensions in the household," he said.
But for the overall numbers, he also pointed to the growing population in Alberta but added that the long-term trend over decades is a decreasing murder rate.
"When you partial out the gang-related homicides, it brings the number more in line with the trend," said Winterdyk.
"At the end of the day, it becomes a social, cultural, political, economic situation that is fairly complex to unravel. You almost have to go at a rural community, local regional, national level to help explain it."
He said if there were an easy explanation to reduce the homicides, it would have been put in place. That said, he wouldn't be surprised to hear a call from police for more money.
"When these things happen, it is a tool that the (justice) system can use to justify the call for more resources, whether it's financial, more manpower or otherwise."
Not all killings occurred in 2008.RCMP say they've re-classified three cases-- one from 2007 and two from 2005--as homicides because of new information learned by investigators.
Medicine Hat, Camrose and Taber police services reported no homicides last year.
In RCMP territory, 77 per cent of the 2008 homicides were considered solved, but Oakes noted there could well be people out there with information related to unsolved murders. He urged them to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
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Interesting that 67 of 122 homicides were in Calgary 7 Edmonton. That's roughly 55% of the total yet the 2 cities have about 2/3 of the population. No doubt some (or many) of the homicides from outside the 2 major cities were in communities or areas immediately outside Calgary & Edmonton (eg Chestermere, Strathcona County etc.) so you could almost count them as 'big city'. I wonder if that brings the numbers more in line with the polulation or if there is still a disproportionate number of murders in rural areas.
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If anything, so long as its beneath a certain threshold, its the least important considering the rarity of it compared to robbery, assault, burglary, etc. 
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