New Brunswick has one of the highest rates of fire-related arson and homicide of any Canadian province.

Data compiled by Statistics Canada shows a rate of 46 arson fires per 100,000 residents reported by New Brunswick police between 2012 and 2021.

That’s nearly double the Canadian average of 26 arson attacks per 100,000 people.

Only Manitoba and Saskatchewan had higher rates than New Brunswick, at 61 and 65 arson fires per 100,000 people, respectively.

It should be noted that the cities of Moncton and Saint-Jean recorded a rate in 2021 that was well below the provincial average in recent years.

In its analysis, the federal agency reports 95,000 arson fires and 2,243 violent arson victims in the country between 2012 and 2021, a phenomenon that is believed to be increasing since 2018.

In New Brunswick, the Office of the Fire Marshal notes in its annual report that the number of applications increased significantly from 2,739 to 3,831 between 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.

This data includes arson and accidental fires. However, the number of investigations carried out by the district provosts is much smaller and amounts to 148 in 2020-2021.

The RCMP in New Brunswick wanted to put the content of the study, conducted by Statistics Canada, into perspective and highlight the fact that the number of arson attacks on its territory has decreased significantly over the past three years, from 361 in 2019 to 324 in 2021.

“An arson case is always of great concern to the RCMP, who work closely with the Office of the Fire Marshal on investigations. The effects can be devastating, causing injury and death and significant property damage,” said Hans Ouellette, spokesman for the RCMP.

He also thinks it is good to distinguish between the different categories of arson-related offenses, which may include those directed against people and property, and others that are more related to fraud.

“There are people who burn down their house just to get an amount from their insurer and they don’t want to hurt anyone, there’s a certain difference to this type of crime but it’s hard to quantify,” Corporal Ouellette said.

In its study, Statistics Canada also notes that the vast majority of arsonists are young men and boys, and that women and girls who are victims of violent arson are much more likely to have had a prior relationship with the alleged perpetrator of the crime.