The Meaford Independent reported yesterday that a new Statistics Canada report ranks Meaford as 237th out of 238 on the Crime Severity Index of Canadian municipalities with populations over 10,000.

The index uses police-reported data in its rankings and takes into account both volume of crime and seriousness of crime.

Meaford’s small town ambience and friendly atmosphere are no surprise to people who live here, and now StatsCan has endorsed the idea that this is a great place for people looking for secure and safe small town living. “I have always known that Meaford is a very safe community,” Mayor Francis Richard told the Independent. “To have it reported by StatsCan just confirms it.”

Safety and security are often criteria cited by people looking for a retirement destination, and most rankings of retirement communities factor this into their calculations.