National

Border agency recovered nearly 2,000 stolen vehicles this year: transport minister

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Oct, 2024 12:19 PM

Canada's border guards have recovered more stolen vehicles at railyards and ports so far this year than in all of 2023.

Transport Minister Anita Anand said the Canada Border Services Agency has recovered 1,945 stolen vehicles, with the majority found in Quebec.

The federal government launched an action plan earlier this year to address the record rates of vehicle thefts, involving local and international police agencies, vehicle manufacturers and other partners.

"We are here today to say that this is working, that we are seeing a 19 per cent decrease in auto theft during the first half of 2024 compared to last year," Anand said at a press conference outside Halton Regional Police Service headquarters in Oakville, Ont.

"We are seeing the CBSA seize 1,900-plus vehicles, and we are making sure we ourselves as a federal government are being held accountable."

Anand added that she expects to introduce new regulations for vehicle manufacturers about the need for anti-theft technology in new vehicles next year. However, she could not share a specific timeline, instead saying it's being addressed on an "as soon as possible basis."

She said the consultation process on those potential regulations is complete, and she is waiting on officials to bring forward proposed changes.

The anti-theft regulations would only apply to new vehicles. To deter theft, Ontario Liberal MP Adam van Koeverden suggested drivers park inside if possible and use a steering wheel club, a common anti-theft device.

Much of the auto theft problem is centred in Ontario and Quebec, with stolen vehicles being routed through the Port of Montreal and then shipped overseas.

According to insurance crime watchdog Équité Association, 28,550 vehicles were stolen in Canada in the first half of 2024. The watchdog's finding pointed to a 17 per cent decrease in thefts from the year prior.

In an Oct. 2 report, the Insurance Bureau of Canada said claims for stolen vehicles were down 19 per cent year-over-year, but noted the issue is trending "significantly above" historic averages.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. premier breaks ground on second hospital, cancer centre at cost of $2.88 billion

A long-awaited and often promised second hospital for the City of Surrey marked a milestone today with a groundbreaking ceremony promising the opening of the new facility by 2029. Premier David Eby says the start of construction on the new $2.88 billion hospital and cancer treatment centre is an anticipated and needed health-care expansion in one of British Columbia's fastest growing communities.

B.C. premier breaks ground on second hospital, cancer centre at cost of $2.88 billion

2 Canadian Sikhs sentenced for role in murder of man over drug debt

Andrew Baldwin, 30, who used and trafficked drugs, was stabbed to death on November 11, 2019, as he watched a movie with a friend in a basement apartment at Whalley in the Surrey city of British Columbia. While Jagpal Singh Hothi was charged with first-degree murder, his friend and accomplice Jasman Singh Basran, who tried to get rid of evidence, was charged with being an accessory, The Vancouver Sun newspaper reported on Monday.

2 Canadian Sikhs sentenced for role in murder of man over drug debt

One evacuation imposed, another dropped, as B.C. wildfires burn through September

The order is the only one issued in B.C. in the last 24 hours, but several other orders and alerts have been ended or downgraded over the same period, including orders covering 25 homes affected by the out-of-control McDougall Creek wildfire near West Kelowna.

One evacuation imposed, another dropped, as B.C. wildfires burn through September

Liberal MPs meet to prep for fall sitting, as Trudeau stares down slumping polls

Liberal MPs are gathering in London, Ont., to plan their strategy as the party grapples with rising discontentment toward Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Polls show the Liberals have sunken to their lowest levels of support since taking government in 2015, largely to the benefit of the Conservatives.

Liberal MPs meet to prep for fall sitting, as Trudeau stares down slumping polls

Canadian accused in U.S. of stealing cash using sleight-of-hand techniques

A Canadian man has been indicted in a U.S. federal court in St. Louis after being accused of using sleight-of-hand methods to steal more than $64,000 from more than 40 Walmart stores across the U.S. Thirty-seven-year-old Mohsen Akbari was indicted August 16th on one count of wire fraud and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.

Canadian accused in U.S. of stealing cash using sleight-of-hand techniques

Premier Eby 'white-hot' angry over Chinatown stabbing suspect's release from hospital

British Columbia Premier David Eby says he is "white-hot" angry over the day release of a man from a forensic psychiatric hospital before he was arrested for a triple stabbing in Vancouver's Chinatown. Eby says the decision to release the man boggles the mind, and he wants to get to the bottom of how it occurred.