Federal government giving $121M to Ontario police to crack down on auto thefts
Auto thefts, violent carjackings have surged in Ontario in recent years
The federal government says it is providing $121 million for police in Ontario to target gun and gang violence with a particular focus on the surge in auto thefts and carjackings in the GTA.
Details of the funding were announced Wednesday by the federal Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc and Minister of Justice Arif Virani, as well as Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the province's solicitor general and attorney general.
The money for Ontario is coming from a larger federal fund of $390 million set aside by Ottawa in 2023 for the national Initiative to take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence.
In Toronto alone, more than 12,000 vehicles were stolen in 2023, a 24.4 per cent increase over the previous year. That steep jump followed a 45 per cent jump in 2022 from 2021, according to Toronto police's major crimes indicator dashboard.
There has also been a rise in violent carjackings, according to multiple police forces throughout the region, as well as an increase in break-and-enters — sometimes by armed perpetrators — for the purpose of stealing ignition fobs.
"That is terrifying for people ... to face that kind of fear in their own homes, the place where they should feel safest," said Virani.
Virani said he met with representatives from GTA police services in December. He said it was made clear that a holistic approach is the only way to combat the escalation in auto thefts and related violence, which has been linked to national and international organized crime.
The response will require co-operation between local law enforcement, the auto and insurance industries and the Canada Border Services Agency, he said. While the problem is especially acute in Ontario, Virani said he has heard concerns from police services and residents in B.C., Quebec and the Atlantic provinces as well.
"This is truly a national issue that requires a national response," he told reporters, adding that he is "very open" to potentially revising the Criminal Code to include stiffer penalties for auto theft-related offences.
WATCH | Ford says tougher bail rules needed to curb auto thefts:
While taking questions from media, Ford explicitly called for changes to the Criminal Code, including mandatory minimum sentences for those convicted of violent offences.
"You're breaking into someone's home with a weapon and threatening families? You should be going to jail, no matter what. Throw them in jail for 10 years, I don't care how long it is," said Ford.
Wednesday's news conference came in the wake of LeBlanc's announcement that he is convening a national summit on combating auto theft next month that will include political leaders, police, border agents and auto industry executives.
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw told CBC News this week that many auto theft rings are sending vehicles overseas to sell in places like North Africa and the Middle East. A record number of stolen vehicles were intercepted by the CBSA in 2023.
Last week alone, the CBSA says its officers in the GTA recovered 40 stolen vehicles, collectively valued at about $2.3 million, from 18 shipping containers destined to be exported overseas.
For its part, the Ontario government has earmarked $51 million over three years on prevention efforts and has also launched a joint police task force aimed at disrupting the "networks responsible for high-risk auto thefts."
Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said Wednesday that the task force has made 89 arrests, laid 554 charges and recovered more than 100 vehicles since it was struck last year.
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