Auto theft has been one of the major issues facing Ontario over the past year and it appears some progress is being made after a new report says car thefts are down 17 per cent in 2024.
However, that’s little comfort for Michael Aitken who tells CityNews he’s had his vehicle stolen six times.
“We’ve had five stolen Range Rovers and one stolen Suburban … my ex-wife’s Range Roger was stolen … about three or four months ago,” said the Mississauga man. “The insurance ended up writing it off because it’s been stolen so many times.”
Aitken’s slew of stolen Range Rovers are part of a province-wide trend. According to a report by Équité Association, 70 per cent of the vehicles taken by thieves are luxury cars.
“A lot of these luxury vehicles are going overseas. It is heavily involved in drugs and guns, and a lot of the times these vehicles are being funnelled into the hands of bad guys, and they’re using it as payments,” said Betty Ng, the Director of Investigative Service for Équité.
Just under 25,000 cars were stolen in Ontario last year, a 17 per cent decrease. Over 57,000 cars were stolen nationwide which is 13,000 less than 2023, but still higher than the amount stolen in 2021.
Analysts at Équité attribute that to partnerships between police, border security, anti-fraud groups and the government.
“All the stakeholders are working together as one. When you’re working as one, you’re moving a lot faster and are able to gain that traction and that momentum. And additionally, thanks to the Ontario government, there was a provincial auto theft grant that was given out in 2023 to combat this issue. And we’re starting to see results,” added Ng.
Équité says despite the decline in 2024, the number of thefts is still unreasonably high and they put Canadians in danger.
Aitken said that at one point the thieves weren’t able to take the SUV from his driveway so they started tracking him.
“When it went to the dealership because it has to go to the dealership when the window is broken, and they found a tracking system underneath one of the Suburbans that I had. It’s kind of scary knowing that somebody’s following you, tracking you, they know where you live,” shared Aitken.
Having a vehicle stolen isn’t just traumatizing, it’s also expensive.
“It’s a $5,000, deductible. Call it, $25,000, almost $30,000,” he added.
If your car is stolen in Ontario, analysis shows that 50.8 per cent of vehicles are recovered but even if you’re one of the lucky ones, it’s a long process.
“We may recover them, but then it sits in the dealership, we have to get a rental car, it’s time-consuming, and it is a pain,” explained Aitken.