Surrounded by lush forest and built around a historic ship port, Prince Rupert could easily be the picture on a postcard.
But this Canadian coastal town is now so dangerous Walmart has closed its local supermarket due to fears for staff safety.
The sole Walmart within a 144km range acts as a crucial resource for many low-income families in the town, making its closure a significant loss for the community.
Located between the Great Bear Rainforest and the Skeena River, the town, with a population of 12,000, has unexpectedly become a hub for crime, drugs, and homelessness.
Local business owners have said the once-peaceful area is now plagued by constant shoplifting and vandalism which often escalates into violence.
Startling data reveals that Prince Rupert’s crime index is over twice the provincial average and more than 3.5 times the national average.
While exact crime numbers for the current year aren’t provided, statistics from 2020 indicate the area recorded 14,977 crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
This compares with a provincial average of 6,040 for British Columbia, and 4,233 for Canada as a whole.
Prince Rupert, a picturesque port city nestled between the Great Bear Rainforest and the Skeena River, has traditionally been a favored destination for American tourists.
Criminology expert Neil Boyd told The Northern View that this reflects a concerning 10-year average.
Boyd said that although crime stats improved a little in 2024, overall the outlook for the city is still bleak.
According to a criminology professor emeritus from Simon Fraser University, ‘The important thing is for people to look at these crime stats over a 10-year period.’
Canada Crime Report figures show that the city is way above the national average for both violent and non-violent crimes. It’s unclear what sparked the increase.
Stores have been shuttering their doors in response.
The situation has become so bleak that Walmart shuttered its doors recently, citing ‘safety concerns’ for staff and customers.
‘We know how much the community valued this store and while this is not the outcome we hoped for, this decision was only made after a full review of options,’ the store said in a statement.
The decision came after a temporary shutdown earlier this year.
In recent years, Walmart has permanently shuttered all of its stores in Portland, Oregon, after the CEO warned of a historic rise in thefts.
Shocking figures show the crime index for Prince Rupert in British Columbia is more than double the provincial average, and more than 3.5 times higher than the national average
The Canadian coastal town is now so dangerous the local Walmart (pictured) has closed
In recent years, the Canada vacation spot has become an unlikely breeding ground for violent crime with an increasing number of homeless encampments
A recent survey by the Business Improvement Association of British Columbia showed that two-thirds of 350 businesses in Prince Rupert surveyed had said disorder in stores had increased over the past year.
They cited increased drug use and homeless encampments in the area, saying poverty was triggering an increase in theft and violence.
Shockingly, the poll found that nearly one in five business owners said their business may not be financially viable beyond the next year unless conditions improve.
Marquis Wine Cellars owner John Clerides said his store is frequently hit with vandalism and shoplifting which costs him around $15,000 a year to remedy.
Clerides, who comes from a family of downtown Prince Rupert business owners, said the situation has worsened dramatically only in recent years.
‘What this does in the long-term — you see this in the United States — is the downtown becomes a retail or food desert,’ he told the Vancouver Sun.
‘And when a street dies, a city dies. You are seeing that in the downtown.’
