According to a report by Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, Canada is the safest country in the world to travel to, ahead of others such as Switzerland, Norway, Ireland or the Netherlands. However, when it comes to vehicle theft, the North American country radically changes its image to become the world capital of this type of practice.
Figures released at the beginning of the year show that a vehicle was stolen every five minutes in the country in 2023, or more than 100,000 cars a year. Nearly half of these thefts, about 45,000, occurred in Ontario and 58% in Quebec, the country’s most populous province. These movements cost insurers more than $730 million in losses in 2023.
It was Interpol that noted that Canada is now one of the top 10 origin countries for stolen vehicles. “In recent years, Canada has emerged as a major country for stolen vehicles due to its large number of high-value models such as SUVs and crossovers.”
The destination of these high-end stolen vehicles lies in West Africa and the Middle East. In April, Canadian police recovered 598 vehicles that had been stolen and were about to be shipped abroad. The vehicles, mostly high-end cars worth an estimated $25.5 million, were hidden in containers stored at the Port of Montreal.
No port control
A big reason these thefts occur is because of Canada’s ports. According to Elliot Silverstein, director of government relations for the Canadian Automobile Association, “In the port system, there’s a lot more focus on what comes into the country than what comes out,” adding that once vehicles are in a shipment’s container at the port, they become even more difficult to find.
Furthermore, in most cases port staff do not have the authority to inspect containers, and in customs-controlled areas only border officials may open containers without a court order.
Finally, the lack of advances in technology is also becoming a problem for local authorities. For example, in the US they have scanners that measure density and work closely with local authorities. “These are things we don’t do in Canada,” said Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, another Ontario city badly affected by car thefts.
With all this, the situation is so serious that in February the Canadian government announced a program to combat theft, as well as measures to toughen its laws and increase punishments for those convicted of vehicle theft.