Canada stabbing spree leaves 10 dead: A look at the country’s worst mass killing incidents

As recently as two years ago, another mass shooting saw 16 people dead in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore speaks next to images of Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson during a press conference in Regina, Saskatchewan, on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. (Michael Bell/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada witnessed its worst stabbing spree Sunday (September 4) that left 10 people dead and 15 injured in an indigenous community and a neighbouring town in the Saskatchewan province. Canadian police said that there were 13 crime scenes where either deceased or injured people were found.

Police have named Damien Sanderson (31) and Myles Sanderson (30) as the two suspects, and said they were last spotted in Regina, about 335 kilometres (208 miles) south of the communities where the stabbings occurred.

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In Canada, murders make up only a fraction of the total number of police-reported violent criminal offences each year. In 2020, only 0.2% of violent crimes were considered a homicide — first-degree murder, second-degree murder, infanticide or manslaughter. Murders involving multiple victims are even rarer. Between 2011-2020, there were 265 incidents involving more than one victim of homicide.

According to the government of Canada, these multiple-victim incidents resulted in 602 victims. “Multiple-victim incidents accounted for 5% of all homicide incidents and represented 10% of all victims in that period,” according to Canada’s national statistical office. While mass killings are rare in Canada compared to the neighbouring United States, here’s a look at Canada’s biggest mass killing incidents:

PORTAPIQUE, NOVA SCOTIA

April 2020: A gunman, who at one point masqueraded as a police officer, killed at least 16 people in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia during a 12-hour rampage, in the country’s worst modern-era mass shooting.

TORONTO, ONTARIO

July 2018: A man walked down a busy Toronto street, shooting randomly into restaurants. He killed two people and wounded 13 before turning his gun on himself.

QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC

January 2017: A man opened fire during evening prayers at a mosque, killing six people and wounding five. Twelve others were treated for minor injuries.

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LA LOCHE, SASKATCHEWAN

January 2016: A student killed his two brothers at home before opening fire at a remote community high school, killing two more people and wounding seven others.

CALGARY, ALBERTA

April 2014: The son of a long-serving member of Calgary’s police force was arrested after five people at a house party were stabbed to death.

EDMONTON, ALBERTA

December 2014: A man killed eight people, including his wife, before killing himself.

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MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK

June 2014: A gunman killed three Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers and wounded two others.

MAYERTHORPE, ALBERTA

March 2005: A man killed four RCMP officers who went to his home to execute a warrant to repossess property. The man then killed himself.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO

April 1999: A former employee of Ottawa’s urban transit service killed four of his colleagues and wounded two others before taking his own life.

VERNON, BRITISH COLUMBIA