Most cars stolen in N.B. are used to commit other crimes, not for export
New report finds majority of recovered vehicles have been burned
Doug Short walks around his impound lot, pointing out one stolen and recovered vehicle after another — a sedan with a smashed out rear window, a pair of pickup trucks and a row of others buried in snow.
Every two to three days, the owner of Five Star Towing gets a call about another stolen auto found in greater Moncton. Between his company and others, he estimates a couple vehicles are being recovered in the city every day.
"Since I've started towing, I've seen it over triple," said Short, who's been running the business for 18 years. "They just keep coming in."
A spike in recovered stolen vehicles is being reported across New Brunswick. The province is seeing a sharp rise in auto thefts, a trend across Canada. But unlike Ontario and Quebec, where most vehicles are stolen for export overseas, most New Brunswick vehicles are taken to commit other crimes — and are eventually found.
A report released early this month by Équité Association, a national non-profit which investigates theft and fraud for the insurance industry, found that thieves in New Brunswick are stealing vehicles to commit other crimes and often burn them to try and eliminate fingerprints and other evidence.
High recovery rate
In Atlantic Canada, 67 per cent of stolen vehicles were recovered in 2023, compared to 44 per cent in Ontario and 37 per cent in Quebec, according to the report. The difference is because of the large number of vehicles sent overseas from those provinces.
Bryan Gast, Équité's vice-president of investigative services, said some vehicles in the Maritimes are being stolen for local use by organized crime, for "joy rides," or stripped down for parts. Others are being exported through the ports of Saint John and Halifax.
"This is not a victimless crime, this is not just a property crime," he said. "They're using the proceeds of these vehicles to fund their criminal operations, whether that be drugs or firearms."
Gast, a former officer with the Ontario Provincial Police, said while many criminals try to burn vehicles to eliminate evidence, it's a largely ineffective tactic.
"Our investigators can restore the true identity of the vehicle and law enforcement are very good at forensic analysis," he said.
'There's a lot of eyes watching'
About three years ago, one of Short's tow trucks was stolen. While it was never located, the incident motivated him to launch a "Maritime Stolen Vehicle" Facebook group so members of the public can help each other track down stolen vehicles across the region. It has grown to more than 8,000 members.
"I've had many messages from people that have had vehicles stolen and we've found them abandoned in campgrounds, we've found them all over the place," he said. "People are starting to realize that there's a lot of eyes watching right now.
Five Star Towing currently has about 10 vehicles on the lot that have been recovered and are still unclaimed, after unsuccessful efforts to find the owner through insurance companies.
Short said Ford trucks are one of the most frequently stolen and recovered vehicles in the Moncton area, as many models don't have security systems, which make them easier targets.
"There's people hired just to figure out how to get by security systems and it's working. They're definitely getting them," he said.
The latest New Brunswick-specific data shows 2,054 vehicles were stolen in 2022 — a 118 per cent increase since 2016, according to Statistics Canada.
Équité Association is calling for an update to federal regulations so anti-theft measures are required to keep up with new technology like push-start ignitions.
Earlier this month, the federal government convened a national summit on auto theft.
Gast said additional law enforcement resources dedicated to vehicle crime will help address the issue, along with collaboration between different levels of government, police and the Canada Border Services Agency.
He said the key is "making the vehicles harder to steal, whether that's through the manufacturer or after-market solutions," and making it more difficult to get the vehicles out of the country.
"It's a complex problem, there's no magical solution."
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