I share schumachergal's experience. In more than 2 years in Regina, the closest I came to personally hearing about a crime was when a colleague's iPod was stolen.

I don't feel unsafe in Regina at all. It might be different when it comes to the North Central neighbourhood though. I don't know what thats like and I've never had to go there for anything. One can use statistics to paint any kind of picture one wants. It would be a shame if someone chose not to move to Regina or Saskatoon simply because of those statistics because IMO, they are not reflective for real day-to-day life in those cities.

From all the cities I've lived in in my life, I think if you found Regina or Saskatoon scary, then you'd have to live in a village somewhere to feel safe.

Hear Hear - If we lived our lives on any statistics you would never go thru the door !
It just gets to me when people say things and maybe not even live/or lived there !
I feel the same way too about Regina. I have never felt unsafe there either.
Let's face it I would think everywhere on this planet has an unsafe area, but some more than others and learn to just avoid them !

The problem is, when it comes to subjective opinions and answers, i'm always right.

Good one!

I suppose it's a universal truth then that Leeds United is the greatest football club in the history of mankind!

I think I've just fractured a rib thru laughing...awesome..

Well that explains your attitude towards Saskatchewan.

Green is the colour when we're marching on together!

....Being as the OP is currently based in Glasgow no where in Canada is likely to feel that scary. Think you got crime rates in Reggina?! Ha. Novices...

Sounds like going from Mumbai to Saskatchewan and going from Glasgow to Saskatchewan is pretty much the same thing in terms of 'adjusting to the crime rates'.

"Think you got crime rates in Canada?!", is exactly what I said to people in Fredericton when they were warning me about the high crime rate in Regina.

Bingo.Its all relative. Thanks for your info in this thread by the way, appreciate it.
I don't think anyone is as naive to base life changing decisions such as emmigrating on the posts of an internet forum ( as some seem to suggest they would), but it is good to get honest opinions from those who have been
in the position before and are willing to share their experiences.
Thanks all.

I haven't ever been to Saskatchewan, but my son has lived in Regina since January this year. He was shocked by the locals' attitude to the crime rate.

As someone said, it's largely confined to the North Central Region where all the First Nations people live and equally largely confined to internal acts of violence and theft.

He works for a radio station and was perplexed when, after one weekend when there were 5 separate murders, the news program on his station didn't mention any of them.

"Son," he was told, "If we reported on the Natives killing each other, we'd lose our audience overnight. They have their own radio station".

Such is Regina.

I have relatives in Regina, including in the "scary" area. I've visited often and never felt unsafe. I also lived an hour outside of Regina back in 2001 and the city was my go-to place when small town life was driving me bonkers, and I liked it fine. Now, I'm biased because I do have family and connections there, but I thought it was livable. However, I do think Saskatoon is the better option of the two. I've no experience there, but I have a friend who lived there for five years and she said the university is better, it has more of a cultural scene (I can hear the laughter now, but keep in mind we're comparing Regina and Saskatoon, so not exactly the cultural epicentres in Canada), the river valley is nicer than Wascana and the engineered lake, that sort of thing. Saskatoon is also five hours' drive to Edmonton, if you need some item that can only be found in a larger centre. Regina is nine hours' drive to Edmonton, but about five hours to Winnipeg (which some might say is not exactly a selling point).

Lloydminster is a transit town really. People pass through it on their way somewhere else.

Estevan...whoa...now I love small town Saskatchewan. Most of my relatives, aside from the aforementioned ones in Regina, live in tiny villages; but it's not anywhere I'd live if Saskatoon was an option.

According to the police statistics there is a fair amount of crime around us, but it mostly seems to be people stealing building supplies and tools from the construction sites.

For me the biggest downside of Saskatoon is that because of the boom the roads are packed with people in pickup trucks and mini-vans who think that three feet is a safe distance to leave between them and the car in front when driving on fresh snow on an icy road. I've seen more crashed cars in a few years here than I did in decades living in Britain, and when a couple of them crash on bridges at the same time it can pretty much grid-lock the town.

I've lived in Regina for practically nine years now--I can't stand the place. I encourage anyone thinking of moving to Saskatoon or Regina to please visit first. I've been to Saskatoon a few times over the years and honestly, I don't see a difference. As far as I am concerned, the cost of living and short commute times were the only advantages to living here--they are both gone for the most part!

And don't get me started on crime. Yeah, it's mostly confined to one area, but it's starting to spread to other areas of the city. My wife has lived here in Regina all of her life. She use to feel safe here--now, she doesn't it. My wife thought she'd live here forever. We hope to be in Alberta within the next few months.

Additionally, I find the place ridiculously boring. I work weekends on purpose because it's so boring.

I'd be interested in your opinion of my son's opinion.