The federal government needs to enforce existing legislation to stop the escalation of auto theft in Canada by organized crime as it is severely impacting consumers and dealerships, said Huw Williams, Director of Public Affairs for the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA).
He told Canadian auto dealer that cars are being stolen collectively from individuals’ homes and dealerships in Canada at 10 times the rate of the United States per capita. “The consequences of (Canadian organized crime) in terms of getting caught is very low,” said Williams. “The U.S. Homeland Security is obviously doing their job, but in Canada we’re not.”
Williams said there are “huge car lots” in Africa with vehicles with Ontario plates being sold with garage door openers still in the visors. “Every police agency in Canada knows these vehicles are being stolen by organized crime, taken to Montréal in an organized fashion, and shipped out of this country.”
Two Halifax-based dealerships recently had cars stolen from their lots, though they were returned. Halifax Regional Police told CTVNewsAtlantic.ca that the number of car thefts in Halifax have risen to 357 from 229 between 2018-2022. This year, more than 163 cars have already been stolen.
“Consumers are first and foremost the victims of this, but car dealerships are huge victims of this as well,” said Williams. “There’s a definite problem that dealers are concerned about in a very direct way. They are hearing from consumers that this is a problem and it is changing their buying habits.”
He said dealers have worked with security consultants and have hardened up their physical infrastructure and all of their practices to improve their situation. Three luxury cars were stolen last week from a downtown Toronto, Ont., dealership with an estimated value of $1 million. It was the latest theft in a spike of 38.5 percent in Toronto this year, according to Ontario police.
“Our phones have been lighting up from individual (luxury) dealers in the GTA who sell certain brands,” said Williams. CBC News reported in June that the Canadian Finance and Leasing Association (CFLA) indicated a 300 per cent surge in vehicle thefts since 2015. The CFLA estimated that car thefts are costing Canada about $1 billion annually.
Williams said the Peel Regional Police Board organized an auto theft summit in March that included federal, provincial and municipal politicians. Some of the information shared included a 192.69 percent increase in stolen cars in York Region from 2018-2022, 171.03 percent increase in Durham and 157.44 percent increase in Ottawa. Williams said this information is known to industry stakeholders but has not been reported by the media.
In May the government of Ontario announced that it would spend $51 million over three years to fight auto theft, as there has been a 14 per cent increase in cases over the last year. “It’s a good step and a good move by the province, but has not been matched by federal action, which is where the source of the problem is,” said Williams.
