Hate crimes in N.S. rose in 2021

The number of hate crimes reported by police in Nova Scotia in 2021 increased by 14 between 2020 and 2021, numbers released this week by Statistics Canada show.

The numbers went from 58 to 72 in the province, the statistics show. Race and ethnicity were still the most common, with 45 crimes, up from 42 the year before. Nine were connected to religion, and six to sexual orientation.

The other six were from a general category that includes mental or physical disability, language, sex or gender, age, occupation and political beliefs.

The total was the sixthhighest in the country, after Ontario (1,629), British Columbia (598), Quebec (488), Alberta (339), and Manitoba (75).

The overall number in Canada went up 714 to 3,360. Of those, 51 per cent involved crimes based on race and ethnicity, 26 per cent on religion, and 13 per cent on sexual orientation.