The day before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was set to deliver remarks to open the National Summit on Combating Auto Theft, the government of Canada announced a variety of federal investments to stop export of stolen vehicles.

On Tuesday, Dominic LeBlanc, minister of public safety, democratic institutions and intergovernmental affairs, said the investment comes to a total of $28 million.

In light of this investment, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will have more capacity to detect and search containers with stolen vehicles, the government press release said.

Further, it will be used to spark more collaboration and info sharing across Canada to identify and arrest the criminals behind rising auto theft numbers in Canada.

The CBSA will also be busy testing available detection tech that could help border services officers who intercept shipping containers searching for stolen vehicles set to be exported. This tech includes AI and advanced analytical tools.

This latest investment will:

– Increase the CBSA’s export examination capacity.
– Enhance the capacity of the CBSA’s intelligence program
– Enhance the CBSA’s capacity in the Greater Toronto Area
– Provide additional technical resources
– Explore how new and existing data could be used to support border activities
– Build the CBSA’s policy and program capacity

The auto theft problem in Canada is particularly difficult to digest as it increasingly involves organized crime groups. Most of these vehicles are headed to Africa or the Middle East.

Nationally, the CBSA has ramped up efforts, intercepting 463 stolen vehicles in 2018 to more than 1,800 interceptions of stolen vehicles in 2023.

There is no single solution to this complex problem, the government said. The summit held last week was an effort from the government to bring leaders from all orders of government, industry and law enforcement together in Ottawa to brainstorm further ways to address this challenge.

And this past January, the government pledged federal support to prevent crime and combat auto theft in Ontario. This investment included $121 million to help prevent gun and gang violence in Ontario, including auto theft through the Initiative to take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (ITAAGGV).

“Auto theft is a complex problem, and tackling it requires all partners to do their part. With this investment, our government is acting to prevent stolen cars from leaving the country and support the work of our border officers. I look forward to continuing the discussion with partners on further actions we can take as part of our joint efforts to combat auto theft at tomorrow’s Summit,” LeBlanc said in the press release.

Tech program to thwart auto theft from Port Montreal

Announced on Wednesday at the Summit is the launch of a new program to support tech initiatives to crack down on theft of vehicles susceptible to being exported illegally through Port of Montreal (MPA) property.

MPA will now provide its support, free of charge, to companies that offer tracking systems recognized by the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).

The initiative will help these companies in assessing optimal locations, installing antennas to make independent use of their technology easier, and accessing the territory to maintain their equipment, the press release said.

“This act, we hope, will be followed by other actions to further contribute to make an effort which, to offer concrete results, must be collective both upstream and downstream,” said Geneviève Deschamps, interim president and CEO of MPA, in a press release. “This act is in addition to the actions and tools already in place at the Port to support investigations and to ensure that we offer a secure territory.”

At the Summit, Deschamps reaffirmed the MPA’s determination to contribute to solving this complex problem.

“I want to reiterate the MPA’s openness to collaboration in implementing pragmatic solutions, as well as our willingness to vigorously support all those who are responsible for fighting crime,” she said at the event.

Stay tuned to Auto Remarketing Canada as we continue to follow the significant auto-theft challenge in Canada.