Canada's anti-auto theft national summit has been confirmed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government. This meeting is expected to help reduce the rising car thefts in the North American country.
Based on industry estimates, car thefts in numerous Canadian cities and provinces increased drastically; by around 20% to 50% in 2022. Law enforcement officials claimed that transnational organized crime groups were even involved in these carjackings.
Now, the Canadian government wants to tackle the rising car thefts. If you're one of the car owners in Canada concerned about auto thieves, here's what you can expect from the anti-auto theft national summit.
Canada's Anti-Auto Theft National Summit Confirmed
The Canadian government confirmed, via its official news release, that the National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft is scheduled on Feb. 8 in Ottawa.
These anti-auto theft national meeting aims to bring together leaders from key sectors and jurisdictions so that they can ensure a coordinated response against car thefts.
Canada's upcoming anti-auto theft national summit aims to determine short-, medium-, and long-term measures against carjackings. Aside from this, the conference would also strengthen joint efforts that are already underway.
"Collaboration is key to identifying solutions," said the Honorable Dominic LeBlanc, the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs.
"By convening partners from across local, provincial, and national jurisdictions, this summit will enable us to further coordinate our collective efforts to combat auto theft," he added.
According to Time Magazine, Canada's largest city, Toronto, saw over 9,600 car thefts in 2022 alone. This was confirmed by the Canadian Finance and Leasing Association.
CFLA officials said that Toronto's stolen vehicles in 2022 increased by 300% compared to the annual auto theft records in 2015.
Aside from Toronto, other cities and provinces in Canada also experienced spikes in carjackings in 2022, such as the following:
- Ontario: 48.3% increase
- Atlantic Canada: 34.5% increase
- Quebec: 50% increase
As of writing, the Canadian government hasn't provided the exact anti-auto theft measures they could implement to reduce stolen vehicles.
If you're a car owner, it would still be best to take this matter into your own hands. Luckily, the Halton Police Department provided some tips that can help you prevent thieves from stealing your vehicle:
- Use a steering wheel locking device.
- Start investing in effective GPS trackers.
- Place your vehicle key fob inside a radio frequency shielding bag or pouch.
- Make sure that all your windows and doors are locked properly, even if the car is in the garage.
- Invest in a quality video surveillance system.
