Auto thefts down 18% year-over-year while recovery remains low: report

“The good news is we have seen a reduction in the number of vehicles (stolen), but I would say that we still have a long way to go,” said Bryan Gast, vice president of investigative services for Équité Association.

“The numbers are still high. Organized crime is still targeting Canadian vehicles.”

In 2024, the federal government announced a new national action plan to “disrupt, dismantle and prosecute” the organized crime groups behind auto thefts through tougher criminal penalties, more inspections of shipping containers and better intelligence-sharing.

The report says while the strategy appears to be working, Canadians remain vulnerable to car theft rings and a spike in vehicle finance fraud detected at ports in Montreal and Halifax.

Quebec saw the largest reduction in auto thefts — 25 per cent — followed by Ontario at 22 per cent and Western Canada at 11 per cent.

Atlantic Canada saw the smallest reduction — just two per cent. Gast attributes that statistic to the fact that there are simply fewer vehicles in the region to steal — despite the role the Port of Halifax plays in shipping stolen vehicles out of the country.

While the number of thefts dropped, the rate of recovery for stolen vehicles remains low, the report found, at 59 per cent nationally. In the two biggest provinces, Ontario and Quebec, only about half of the vehicles stolen are ever recovered.

The report says the missing stolen vehicles have likely been exported or dismantled in “chop shops.”

At 71 per cent, Alberta’s rate of stolen vehicle recovery tops those of Quebec and Ontario — but the province continues to serve as a “feeder province” where stolen vehicles from other regions are registered, the report said.

Gast said industry and governments should be working together to make vehicles harder to steal.

He said organized crime groups are employing old tactics — dismantling vehicles to sell for parts, shipping them overseas — and engaging in fraudulent financing that affects banks and insurance companies.

“One of my big concerns beyond the financial loss is what these criminals are doing with these proceeds … $900 million in 2025 is what’s up for grabs,” Gast said.

“This is not just a victimless crime. It’s not just a property crime. They’re profiting from it. They are using the proceeds to fund their criminal operations.”

A House of Commons committee on public safety studied the federal government’s auto strategy and presented it with more than two dozen recommendations.

Responding to that report in January, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the federal government agreed with 22 of the committee’s recommendations — including its call for stronger measures against money laundering and terrorist financing, and for more robust intelligence-sharing with law enforcement partners.

Anandasangaree wrote the government agrees in principle with another nine recommendations, is requesting further study of 10 and disagrees with three. One of those is a call for amendments to the Customs Act to change how containers can be searched, and to require that exporters present shipping documents at least 72 hours before departure.

Gast said Canadians can protect their vehicles by parking them in a garage and by using a steering wheel or pedal lock and an aftermarket immobilizer and tracking device.

“You don’t have to use them all, but … you can do something just to make your vehicle less appealing and less of a target,” Gast said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2026.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Auto thefts down 18% year-over-year while recovery remains low: report

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