Mass Shootings in Canada: A Historical Overview

Mass shootings in Canada—incidents in which four or more people are shot (excluding the perpetrator)—are rare but have left a lasting impact on communities and national policy. While Canada has stricter gun laws compared to its neighbour, the United States, the country has nonetheless experienced tragic incidents of gun violence across the 20th and 21st centuries.

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20th Century Incidents

Throughout the 1900s, several deadly mass shootings occurred across Canada:

1902 – Altona, Manitoba: 3 people killed, 5 injured (8 total casualties).
1918 – Quebec City, Quebec: 4 killed and 100 injured during an incident tied to tensions at the end of World War I.
1918 – Grande Prairie, Alberta: 6 people killed.
1930 – Smoky Lake, Alberta: 5 killed.
1934 – Quebec City, Quebec: 6 killed, 2 injured.
1949 – Sudbury, Ontario: 4 killed, 5 injured (9 total casualties).
1955 – Fenwood, Saskatchewan: 5 killed.
1956 – Erskine, Alberta: 7 killed.
1958 – Ear Falls, Ontario: 5 killed.
1959 – Edmonton, Alberta: 1 killed, 5 injured.
1959 – Stettler, Alberta: 7 killed.
1965 – Coquitlam, British Columbia: 8 killed.
1967 – Shell Lake, Saskatchewan: 9 killed in one of the deadliest rural massacres in Canadian history.
1970 – Creston, British Columbia: 8 killed.
1972 – Montreal, Quebec: 4 killed, 1 injured.
1972 – Kettle Valley, British Columbia: 6 killed, 3 injured.
1974 – Calgary, Alberta: 2 killed, 7 injured.
1975 – Brampton, Ontario: 3 killed, 13 injured (16 total casualties).
1975 – Ottawa, Ontario: 3 killed, 5 injured.
1976 – Toronto, Ontario: 1 killed, 5 injured.
1977 – Montreal, Quebec: 5 killed, 3 injured.
1980 – Vancouver/Richmond, British Columbia: 4 killed, 1 injured.
1982 – Wells Gray Provincial Park, British Columbia: 6 killed.
1983 – Vancouver, British Columbia: 6 killed.
1984 – Quebec City, Quebec: 3 killed, 13 injured (16 total casualties).
1985 – Sherbrooke, Quebec: 5 killed.
1988 – Calgary, Alberta: 4 killed, 1 injured.
1989 – Montreal, Quebec (École Polytechnique massacre): 15 killed, 14 injured (29 total casualties). This remains one of Canada’s deadliest mass shootings and had a profound effect on Canadian society and gun control debates.
1992 – Sydney River, Nova Scotia: 3 killed, 1 injured.
1992 – Montreal, Quebec: 4 killed, 1 injured.
1996 – Vernon, British Columbia: 10 killed, 2 injured.
1999 – Ottawa, Ontario: 5 killed, 2 injured.

21st Century Incidents

Though less frequent than in the United States, mass shootings have continued into the 2000s:

2001 – Montreal, Quebec: 7 killed.
2002 – Quatsino, British Columbia: 6 killed.
2005 – Mayerthorpe, Alberta: 5 killed.
2005 – Toronto, Ontario (Boxing Day shooting): 1 killed, 6 injured.
2006 – Elgin County, Ontario: 8 killed, 1 injured.
2006 – Montreal, Quebec (Dawson College shooting): 2 killed, 19 injured.
2007 – Cambridge Bay, Nunavut: 3 killed, 2 injured.
2007 – Surrey, British Columbia: 6 killed.
2009 – Smith, Alberta: 4 killed.
2010 – Montreal, Quebec: 2 killed, 2 injured.
2010 – Toronto, Ontario: 4 injured.
2010 – Vancouver, British Columbia: 10 injured.
2011 – Kelowna, British Columbia: 1 killed, 4 injured.
2011 – Claresholm, Alberta: 4 killed, 1 injured.
2012 – Toronto, Ontario (Eaton Centre shooting): 2 killed, 5 injured.
2012 – Edmonton, Alberta: 3 killed, 1 injured.
2012 – Calgary, Alberta: 1 killed, 3 injured.
2012 – Toronto, Ontario (Danzig Street shooting): 2 killed, 24 injured (26 total casualties).
2013 – Whitby, Ontario: 5 injured.
2013 – Toronto, Ontario: 5 injured.
2014 – Nanaimo, British Columbia: 2 killed, 2 injured.
2014 – Toronto, Ontario: 4 injured.
2014 – Moncton, New Brunswick: 3 killed, 2 injured.
2014 – Ottawa, Ontario (Parliament Hill shooting): 2 killed, 3 injured.
2014 – Edmonton, Alberta: 9 killed.
2015 – Calgary, Alberta: 1 killed, 6 injured.
2015 – Toronto, Ontario: 2 killed, 3 injured.
2016 – La Loche, Saskatchewan (school shooting): 5 killed, 6 injured.
2016 – Toronto, Ontario: 2 killed, 3 injured.
2016 – Cochrane, Alberta: 4 injured.
2016 – Hamilton, Ontario: 4 killed.
2016 – Mississauga, Ontario: 1 killed, 3 injured.
2017 – Guysborough County, Nova Scotia: 4 killed.
2017 – Quebec City, Quebec (mosque shooting): 6 killed, 5 injured.
2017 – Calgary, Alberta: 4 killed.
2017 – Toronto, Ontario: 0 killed, 5 injured.
2017 – Toronto, Ontario: 1 killed, 4 injured.
2017 – Thorold, Ontario: 0 killed, 5 injured.
2018 – Toronto, Ontario: 2 killed, 13 injured (Danforth shooting).
2018 – Hamilton, Ontario: 1 killed, 3 injured.
2018 – Fredericton, New Brunswick: 4 killed, 1 injured.
2019 – Penticton, British Columbia: 4 killed.
2019 – Toronto, Ontario: 4 injured.
2020 – Toronto, Ontario: 3 killed, 2 injured.
2020 – Nova Scotia (Portapique mass shooting): 23 killed, 3 injured—the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history.
2020 – Toronto, Ontario: 1 killed, 4 injured.
2021 – O’Chiese First Nation, Alberta: 4 injured.
2021 – Mississauga, Ontario: 1 killed, 4 injured.
2021 – Toronto, Ontario: 2 killed, 2 injured.
2022 – Vancouver, British Columbia: 4 killed.
2022 – Saanich, British Columbia: 2 killed, 6 injured.
2022 – Langley, British Columbia: 3 killed, 2 injured.
2022 – Ajax, Ontario: 6 injured.
2022 – Montreal, Quebec: 4 killed.
2022 – Mississauga & Milton, Ontario: 4 killed, 2 injured.
2022 – Vaughan, Ontario: 6 killed, 1 injured.
2023 – Ottawa, Ontario: 4 injured.
2023 – Mississauga, Ontario: 4 injured.
2023 – Ottawa, Ontario: 2 killed, 6 injured.
2023 – Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario: 5 killed, 1 injured.
2023 – Winnipeg, Manitoba: 4 killed, 1 injured.
2024 – White Rock, British Columbia: 4 injured.
2024 – Toronto, Ontario: 2 killed, 3 injured.
2024 – Brampton, Ontario: 1 killed, 3 injured.
2025 – Toronto, Ontario (March 7): 12 injured.
2025 – Toronto, Ontario (June 3): 1 killed, 5 injured.

Broader Impact

Mass shootings in Canada have repeatedly sparked national debates about gun control, mental health, and public safety. The École Polytechnique massacre (1989) and the 2020 Nova Scotia attacks were pivotal moments, leading to renewed calls for stricter firearm regulations.

While mass shootings remain relatively infrequent compared to other countries, each incident leaves profound scars on communities and contributes to ongoing discussions about how to balance public safety, civil liberties, and cultural traditions around firearms.