The federal transport minister says national cooperation is needed to close loopholes that criminals can use to resell stolen cars.

Anita Anand’s office sent letters to her provincial and territorial counterparts requesting meetings to discuss the issue of changing the identification numbers of stolen vehicles that are then resold, a process known as “re- vinning” of vehicles.

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The minister’s office says in its letters that the long-established interprovincial exchange of records can help detect repeat offenses and that all provinces and territories must participate fully in the system.

His office says provinces and territories need to ensure the document exchange technology they use is up to date in order to communicate with other jurisdictions, otherwise potential thieves could find ways to circumvent it.

Last May, the federal government unveiled a national plan to combat car theft that includes more intelligence sharing between police forces and a task force involving all levels of government.

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It also calls for more intervention at ports, with the Canada Border Services Agency tasked with expanding searches of shipping containers in a bid to prevent vehicles from being sent overseas.

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The minister’s office says that while there has been a drop in the overall number of thefts, police have reported an increase in the number of changed VINs on stolen cars.

“Given the importance of addressing the issue of re-vinning, I am calling on all provinces and territories to prioritize this issue in order to further deter and prevent car theft in Canada,” writes Anand in his letter.

“While interprovincial exchange of long-standing records can help detect vehicle resale, all provinces and territories must fully participate in this system to close the loophole exploited by criminals to resell stolen vehicles in Canada . »

More than 1,900 stolen vehicles were intercepted by the Canada Border Services Agency, the majority of which were found in Quebec.

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Statistics released earlier this month by the Insurance Bureau of Canada show more than 4,000 fewer vehicles were stolen in the first six months of 2024, compared to the same period last year, although the office warned that these figures are still more than twice as high as last year. 10 years ago.

Much of the car theft problem is concentrated in Ontario and Quebec, where stolen vehicles pass through the port of Montreal and then are shipped overseas.

According to the Équité Association, an insurance crime watchdog, 28,550 vehicles were stolen in Canada during the first half of 2024. The watchdog’s findings indicate a 17% decrease in thefts compared to the previous year.

More than 70,000 private vehicles were stolen across Canada last year, including more than 30,000 in Ontario, according to the Équité Association, a crime-fighting organization funded by insurance companies.

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