Ottawa recently held a national auto-theft summit designed to pull together provinces, territories, law enforcement and industry players to discuss the growing problem of auto theft in Canada.Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
Auto theft is growing substantially in Canada: A car is stolen every five minutes here on average, according to a 2023 report from Équité Association. Industry figures from 2022 cited by the federal government say rates of vehicle theft rose by 50 per cent in Quebec, 48 per cent in Ontario, 35 per cent in Atlantic Canada and 18 per cent in Alberta compared with the previous year.
Last week, Ottawa held a national auto-theft summit designed to pull together provinces, territories, law enforcement and industry players to discuss the growing problem.
The federal government said the Department of Justice would examine potential amendments to the Criminal Code to strengthen laws related to auto theft and review existing offences and penalties. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Ottawa would earmark $28-million to give Canada Border Services Agency more capacity to search shipping containers for stolen cars.
Here are some tips to protect your vehicle from getting stolen
As vehicle thefts become more frequent, The Globe asked readers who’ve had their cars stolen to share their experiences. Were they able to get them back? What have they learned and what steps have they taken to prevent it from happening again?
Here are some of their stories.
Insurance issues
I had two CRVs stolen from our driveway in the suburbs of Montreal. The first was never recovered, while the second was found a few miles from our home due to a vehicle tracking TAG system. The electronics had been stripped and had to be completely reinstalled, resulting in the vehicle spending several weeks at the garage, a $9,000 cost to the insurer, and significant devaluation of the vehicle’s cost when we changed the lease. It’s difficult to fetch top dollar for a vehicle that’s listed as having been stolen and rebuilt. The final straw was when our insurance provider very helpfully informed us that they were no longer willing to insure us and cancelled our policy. – Karen K.
In August of 2023, my Acura RDX Platinum was stolen off the street in Montreal. My son was visiting Montreal and had driven the car from Kingston. Police were notified and an Apple tracking device was accessed. The insurance would not pay out before 30 days, and of course the policy did not cover 30 days of rental. It also happened on a Saturday, so the insurance company was closed and I had to rent a vehicle for my son to return. Contacting the insurance company involved many hours of phone calls, or more specifically, many hours of waiting on hold to get information from the adjuster. In the end, I had to upgrade to an MDX and pay out of pocket for a newer and larger car. Overall a very frustrating experience. – Holly D.
Targeted vehicles
My 2023 Kia Soul was recently broken into as of last week. They broke my rear passenger window to get in. They tried to get to the ignition part to steal the car but were unsuccessful. This was apparently based on a TikTok challenge to steal Kias and Hyundais. I was not the only vehicle in my parking lot that got broken into. Someone else in my lot with a Hyundai also got their window smashed in. Another person with a Kia sedan in the building got broken into as well. Three attempted thefts in a short period of time. Now I am stuck paying the $500 deductible. – Natalie L.
My very low-mileage 2007 Ford F350 was stolen outside a car-wrap business. The truck was in nice condition when stolen. It was found six weeks later in a field with no tires, all the glass had been smashed, only the turbo-charger removed. Every body panel, plus the doors and the hood, had been dented and bent. The truck was written off. A “narco” kit was sitting on the driver’s seat when it was recovered. When I reported the theft, police told me it was the most stolen truck on Vancouver Island. Approximately two weeks later, a story appeared in the Victoria Times Colonist warning Ford F350 owners to beware as there had been a months-long rash of thefts. – Craig D.
The standard solution
Buy a standard [transmission]. Nobody knows how to drive them any more. I left a ‘78 Jeep parked on the street in Ottawa without door locks for four years without any theft, even though people were constantly going into it to look for stuff. – Jim M.
My 2021 Jeep Sahara – that I had ordered so that it had manual transmission – was stolen last February, 2023 from our residential driveway while we were on holidays. It was never recovered. I have since purchased another (I am a Jeep fan!) and have taken many actions as anti-theft measures. I am also a member of the Ottawa Jeep Club, some of whose members have also had their vehicles stolen. Mostly from their driveways too. – Anonymous
Technical solutions
I had my new Toyota Highlander stolen from our driveway in downtown Toronto. We had all of the keys in the house. When we received our replacement model, we paid for an extra after-market immobilizer. One month later, the thieves came back and tried for the second unit. They were not successful and set off the after-market alarm. The manufacturers need to be held accountable for poor technology to stop various key cloning. – Mike P.
Seven years ago, our Toyota Highlander was stolen off our driveway in the middle of the night. We bought another Highlander because it was perfect for our family. We purchased a faraday box and used it; parked my Jeep Wrangler immediately behind the Highlander; and installed a motion-sensor LED light over the driveway. One morning while walking our new puppy at 4 a.m., I heard a loud bang and saw a Highlander exactly like mine (except it was dragging a quarter panel) race past me and the dog. When we ran home, we realized it was, of course, our Highlander. The garage and the Jeep were both damaged. The Toyota was ditched some distance away. As it is apparent that we are being targeted, we replaced the Highlander with a Hyundai Palisade and in addition to the previously mentioned anti-theft methods, we have made available more “kinetic” means. – Peter K.
My locked Lexus RX350 was stolen from my driveway in August, 2022, even though I had it blocked in by an Atlas SUV. I had my remote in the house in a Faraday pouch so the thieves used another method and manoeuvred it out over the neighbour’s lawn. It was not found. Police response was minimal – they took a report but there was no follow-up. My replacement Honda SUV has had trackers installed, the windows etched to indicate so, and I always now use a steering wheel club when out. Overnight, I religiously park in the garage. I am now always fearful that when I leave my vehicle unattended for an appreciable time, for example, at the GO Train station, that it will not be there when I return. – Kerry T.
The rare happy ending
My car was stolen in January. It’s a 2023 that was at an autobody shop for repair. The shop doesn’t store keys in a safe, so the thieves smashed the front door, broke the lock box and stole multiple vehicles. The shop called me to let me know while police were still onsite. I went over and used the “locate my vehicle” function on the app, and the police recovered it 20 minutes later in a public parking lot. – Ken
Answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.
Have you had your car stolen? Are you taking steps to prevent it from happening?
As vehicle thefts become more frequent, The Globe wants to hear from readers about their experiences. Has your car been stolen? Were you able to get it back? Do you know the details of how your car was stolen? Have you had a close call? Share your experience or steps you've taken to avoid it below.