Transportation Minister Seeks Collaboration with Provinces and Territories to Address Car Theft

The federal transportation minister emphasizes the need for national cooperation to address loopholes that criminals exploit to resell stolen cars.

Anita Anand’s office has reached out to provincial and territorial counterparts to arrange discussions on the issue of Vehicle Identification Numbers being altered on stolen vehicles and then sold, a practice known as “re-vinning” vehicles.

The minister’s office highlights in the letters that the established Interprovincial Record Exchange can aid in detecting re-vinning, stressing that all provinces and territories must actively participate in the system.

The office stresses the importance for provinces and territories to ensure their record exchange technology is current to effectively communicate with other jurisdictions, to prevent potential thieves from finding ways around it.

In May, the federal government unveiled a national plan to combat auto theft, which includes increased intelligence sharing among police forces and the involvement of all levels of government in a working group.

The plan also calls for enhanced interventions at ports, with the Canada Border Services Agency tasked with expanding inspections of shipping containers to prevent vehicles from being exported.

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The minister’s office notes a decrease in overall thefts but an increase in VIN alterations on stolen cars reported by police.

“Given the importance of addressing the issue of re-vinning, I am asking all provinces and territories to prioritize this issue in order to further deter and prevent auto theft in Canada,” Anand writes in her letter.

“While the long-standing Interprovincial Record Exchange can assist in detecting the re-vinning of vehicles, all provinces and territories need to participate fully in this system to close the loophole that is being exploited by criminals to re-sell stolen vehicles within Canada.”

Over 1,900 stolen vehicles were intercepted by the Canada Border Services Agency, with the majority found in Quebec.

Statistics released earlier this month by the Insurance Bureau of Canada show a reduction in vehicle thefts in the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year, though the numbers remain significantly higher than a decade ago.

Most of the auto-theft activity is concentrated in Ontario and Quebec, with stolen vehicles often passing through the Port of Montreal before being shipped overseas.

Équité Association, an insurance crime watchdog, reported 28,550 vehicle thefts in Canada in the first half of 2024, revealing a 17 percent decrease from the year before.

More than 70,000 private vehicles were stolen in Canada last year, over 30,000 of which were in Ontario, according to Équité Association, an anti-crime organization supported by insurance companies.