OTTAWA – A new Mainstreet poll finds that Ottawa is perceived to be the safest city in Canada.

Among the 15 cities surveyed this year, Ottawa leads the pack with a plus 4 per cent net over last year, despite a 5 per cent overall crime rate and 10 per cent crime severity index.

The study says being the centre of Canada 150 celebrations this year and the ongoing concentration of media being related to issues of the federal government plays a big factor in Canadians thinking the capital is a safe place to live.

Meanwhile, Toronto and the city of Winnipeg are deemed the most unsafe cities in Canada this year, and are the only two cities that have a net negative perceived safety percentage.

The Mainstreet poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.16 percentage points, or 19 times out of 20.