WATERLOO REGION - The number of reported hate crimes nearly tripled in Waterloo Region last year, according to new data from Statistics Canada.

In 2016, there were only 19 reported hate crimes. That number jumped to 53 last year. The spike is reflective of an increase in reported hate crimes across the country.

"I think it's a warning, and we all need to be cautious and we need to be diligent to prevent it from escalating," said Lucia Harrison, executive director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre.

Harrison said she thinks there are two reasons for the local increase in reported hate crimes. First, she believes more people are reporting hate crimes to police. Harrison attributes that to the work done by local organizations to educate people on how to recognize and report hate crimes. Harrison said the second reason is a change in social attitudes toward minorities, new immigrants and refugees.

"I do believe it is the politics of what is happening north and south of the border that is also contributing to this. Politicians in high positions are feeding this hateful rhetoric, making people think it's OK. It gives people a licence to be more open about their hate," Harrison said.

"I truly fear the rhetoric will get worse."

The number of reported hate crimes went up by 47 per cent across Canada last year. Racially motivated hate crimes were the highest type reported at 43 per cent. That is closely followed by hate crimes motivated by religion at 41 per cent. Ten per cent of hate crimes targeted the LGBTQ+ community.

Black people are the most targeted group across the country, followed by Muslims and Jews.

Harrison said she often hears people share stories about incidents of hate they have experienced. It may not be criminal, but a racial slur hurled from a car window is also damaging, she said.

While the number of hate crimes rose dramatically last year, the rate was quite low the year before. In 2016, there were only 19. A year earlier, in 2015, there were 51 reported hate crimes.

Christiane Sadeler believes the drop in hate crimes in 2016 might have had something to do with the surge of Syrian refugees that were welcomed to the region that year.

"The public dialogue changed to one of inclusiveness and togetherness," said Sadeler, executive director of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.

"I think it really depends on where the public dialogue is at. It seems to influence the actions of the community."

Sadeler thinks public dialogue has now shifted to a darker place.

"We have world leaders who outright denigrate a particular group of people," she said. "It creates an air of permission in the public."

She doesn't think the rise in locally reported hate crimes is a trend yet because of how the numbers dipped one year then rose the next, but she says the region needs to be vigilant.

"All trends can be reversed if we pay attention to it," she said. "We need to own the fact that these things are happening in our community."

Nearly half of the hate crimes reported across Canada were property-related, such as graffiti and vandalism.

Waterloo Region has seen its share of hate-driven vandalism. Two local churches were hit with anti-gay graffiti last year.

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