THAT the following motion passed at the October 20, 2023 meeting of OBCM be endorsed:
Whereas in Ontario, there has been a 112% increase in auto thefts over the past five years with thefts rising 49% in 2022 alone according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC);
Whereas thieves and criminal networks have specifically targeted Ontario’s biggest cities. In a 5 year span from 2014 - 2021 auto theft increased in Toronto 171%, Ottawa 208%, Vaughan 274%, Peel Region 159% and Halton Region 200%*;
Whereas several Ontario municipalities have addressed this issue with programs to assist their residents including the City of Brampton and the City of Vaughan who have implemented Faraday bags/pouches pilot programs to their hardest hit neighbourhoods to deter “relay attacks” using vulnerabilities in keyless FOBs to steal vehicles swiftly;
Whereas the provincial government has committed $51 million to fighting auto theft in May 2023 which includes the creation of an Organized Crime Towing and Auto Theft Team led by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), a new community safety grant that targets auto theft and the creation of a new Major Auto Theft Prosecution Response Team;
Whereas all levels of government as well as police departments, community safety groups and auto manufacturers need to work together to tackle this auto theft crisis in Ontario and across Canada.
Therefore, be it resolved,
THAT Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) call on the federal government to provide a more robust anti auto theft program that supports law enforcement agencies and municipalities in the form of funding, resources, and legislation to combat auto theft;
That this program include more funding to the Canadian Border Service Agency to increase inspections of shipping containers at all major Canadian ports;
That the federal government enact legislation requiring the inclusion of theft-deterrent technologies for all car manufacturers in new vehicle models in Canada; and
Be it further resolved that Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) call on the Ontario government to make changes to the vehicle transfer process, as recommended by the Insurance Bureau of Canada in order to take steps to minimize improper transfer of vehicles; and
THAT these provincial changes should introduce a physical public VIN inspection conducted by a certified mechanic as part of the safety inspection that precedes every vehicle transfer, ensuring that info/images are captured and transmitted digitally through an update to the DriveON program to prevent the falsification of paper-based documents.