National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft

Introduction

Auto theft is a complex problem that requires manufacturers, insurance companies, shippers, law enforcement agencies and governments to work together to identify solutions. Each partner has a role in making it harder to steal vehicles, recover stolen vehicles, prevent their exportation, and apprehend the perpetrators of these crimes.

Canada is not alone in experiencing a rise in vehicle theft. It is an increasingly transnational criminal phenomenon that requires international and cross-jurisdictional collaboration.

The National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft, held on February 8, 2024, brought together senior officials from federal, provincial and territorial governments, law enforcement and industry representatives. Following the conclusion of the Summit, participants endorsed a Statement of Intent, committing to work together to combat auto theft and to finalizing an action plan.

The National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft (Action Plan) launched May 20, 2024, outlines actions focused on disrupting, dismantling and prosecuting the organized crime groups behind auto theft. The Action Plan identifies various measures and initiatives that will be carried out by the federal government in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and their partners, in accordance with their respective roles, priorities and responsibilities. It will be continuously reviewed and updated to be responsive to the evolving tactics employed by criminal networks.

Concerted efforts undertaken to combat auto theft since the beginning of 2024 are showing positive results.

In 2024, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) intercepted 2,277 stolen vehicles in railyards and ports before they were shipped abroad, an increase of over 25 per cent, compared to the previous year.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is processing international notifications and requests received through INTERPOL's stolen motor vehicle database to better track stolen vehicles with international partners. The RCMP received 2,666 notifications about Canadian vehicles and 491 international collaboration requests, as of October 31, 2024.

The CBSA and the RCMP are directly supporting ongoing joint investigative and intelligence teams with police in Ontario and Quebec, including Project VECTOR, Project RECHERCHER and Project EMISSION.

The CBSA has responded to 2,459 requests for information from law enforcement to aid in investigations and criminal proceedings, as of October 31, 2024.

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) is disclosing financial intelligence related to auto theft to law enforcement and share provided a total of 46 disclosures as of October 31, 2024, an increase of 26 since August 2024.

This page will be updated to reflect progress made under the Action Plan. The second update is now available, and includes actions taken from August to October, 2024.

Intelligence or information sharing responsibilities

Canada Border Services Agency

• Enhance customs information and intelligence sharing to support municipal and provincial police forces.
• Engage all partners in the export trade, such as port authorities, shipping lines and rail operators, to develop actionable intelligence on stolen vehicles.
• Engage foreign border services, such as the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Border Five and FRONTEX, for collaboration, best practices and technology solutions.
• Review existing legislation and regulations to identify and reduce barriers to information sharing.

Status as of November 2024

• The CBSA continues to actively disclose customs information related to auto theft and has responded to 2,459 requests for information from police to aid in investigations and criminal proceedings, as of October 31, 2024, an increase of 721 since August 2024.
• The CBSA, in partnership with the Department of Justice, is exploring further opportunities to strengthen information and intelligence sharing.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

• Deliver Canadian Police College courses on auto theft investigative techniques, to municipal, provincial, and federal levels of law enforcement.
• The RCMP continues to strengthen active international cooperation with foreign law enforcement partners through the RCMP's international network.

Status as of November 2024

• The Canadian Police College held its second 5-day course for law enforcement personnel and investigators on specialized vehicle theft investigative techniques in November. A class of 24 investigators from provincial and municipal police services attended. Two additional offerings of this course are planned for 2025 with the potential of a third.
• The College regularly delivers a course on organized crime that includes auto theft investigations as part of the curriculum.
• The Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) is in the process of conducting an updated assessment of vehicle theft in Canada.
• The RCMP's international network continues to work closely with domestic and international partners on combatting transnational organized crime involvement in auto theft.
• The RCMP's INTERPOL National Central Bureau Ottawa, in conjunction with INTERPOL's Stolen Motor Vehicle team, hosted a 5-day FORMATRAIN workshop at the Port of Montreal from September 16 to 20, 2024. The workshop enhanced the capacity of Canadian law enforcement to detect, investigate, and recover stolen vehicles through vehicle examination techniques, specialized investigative strategies, and information sharing between Canada and INTERPOL member countries.

Joint responsibilities of the Canada Border Services Agency and Royal Canadian Mounted Police

• The CBSA and the RCMP continue to be active members of multiple active auto theft operations and joint task forces across the country led with key provincial and municipal police services and will continue to participate in new partnerships as they emerge.

Status as of November 2024

• The CBSA and the RCMP continue to directly support ongoing joint investigative and intelligence teams with police in Ontario and Quebec, including Project VECTOR, Project RECHERCHER and Project EMISSION.
• The RCMP continues to work with its domestic and international law enforcement partners to identify stolen vehicles from Canada.
• CBSA continues to actively partner with key provincial and municipal police services, including the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Sûreté du Québec, in various auto theft operations and joint task forces across the country.

Public Safety Canada

• Establish and lead a National Intergovernmental Working Group on Auto Theft with federal, provincial, and territorial governments to coordinate actions, monitor progress, and explore new initiatives that may be undertaken at all levels for a multi-faceted approach to combatting auto theft.

Status as of November 2024

• The first meeting on the National Intergovernmental Working Group on Auto Theft took place in October 2024.

Joint responsibilities of the Canada Border Services Agency, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and local police

• Strengthen existing ways of sharing intelligence and information among law enforcement and public safety partners by:
  • Dedicating federal resources to the provincially led Auto Theft Joint Intelligence Group, with key police forces and leveraging private sector collaboration;
  • Using the CISC network, to provide actionable intelligence, and the Canadian Integrated Response to Organized Crime (CIROC), to coordinate national operational approaches to organized crime, including vehicle theft.

Status as of November 2024

• The RCMP continues to collaborate with other law enforcement agencies to share intelligence, including through the Joint Intelligence Group, Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) and the Canadian Integrated Response to Organized Crime (CIROC).
• The CBSA has responded to 2,459 requests for information from law enforcement, as of October 31, 2024, an increase of 721 since August 2024.
• The CBSA continues to provide embedded resources to the Auto Theft Joint Intelligence Group (JIG) and regularly collaborates police across Canada.

Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)

• Continued efforts to strengthen Canada's Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing (AML/ATF) regime, including supervising implementation of AML/ATF measures and reporting by regulated sectors to FINTRAC, which in turn can lead to useful financial intelligence to address money laundering and proceeds of crime linked to auto-theft, will support overall efforts by law enforcement to address auto-theft in Canada.

Status as of November 2024

• FINTRAC has disclosed a total of 46 financial intelligence disclosures to law enforcement as of October 31, 2024, an increase of 26 since August 2024.
• Engagement and strategic financial intelligence activities are ongoing.

Transport Canada

• Encourage provinces and territories to take steps to combat "revinning," or the use of fraudulent vehicle registrations to re-sell stolen vehicles. This could include investments to enable comprehensive data sharing across jurisdictions through the existing Interprovincial Record Exchange (IRE).

Status as of November 2024

• The Minister of Transport has engaged with provincial and territorial counterparts to reaffirm the Government's commitment to working together to address the issue of fraudulent vehicle registration and to encourage full participation in the Interprovincial Record Exchange system.
• The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators' Stolen Vehicles Task Force has initiated its work.

Ontario

Status as of November 2024

• The Provincial Operations Intelligence Bureau (POIB) and the Joint Intelligence Group (JIG) partners continue to identify multi-jurisdictional priorities, leveraging the Canadian Integrated Response to Organized Crime (CIROC).

Intervention

Canada Border Services Agency

• Enhance collaboration with port authorities, rail and shipping partners to expand export cargo container examinations, including the deployment of scanning and detection technology in new locations (e.g., rail yards).
• Integrate the use of advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to better target containers with suspected stolen vehicles.
• Invest $28 million to bolster efforts in combatting auto theft by:
  • Hiring new frontline Border Service Officers and deploying them to ports, railyards and intermodal hubs to expand examination capacity in response to intelligence developed by the CBSA and law enforcement.
  • Dedicating new resources to intelligence and targeting capabilities specific to stolen vehicles.
  • Identifying and testing new Detection Technology tools to expand capacity to screen containers for stolen vehicles.
  • Leveraging data from interdictions of stolen vehicles and use AI to predict location of suspected stolen vehicles, as well as complicit entities within the supply chain of the export of stolen vehicles.
• Continue to explore, test and if effective at deterring, procure new detection technologies for improved stolen vehicle interdiction, with a particular focus on existing mobile technology.

Status as of November 2024

• The CBSA has increased its capacity to use detection technology at both the CN Intermodal yard in Brampton and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Intermodal yard in Vaughan to identify stolen vehicles.
• The CBSA continues to engage with international counterparts and with companies to share best practices on emerging technologies.

Joint responsibilities of the Canada Border Services Agency, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and local police

• Ongoing: Increase export examinations at port, rail and intermodal facilities to disrupt the export of stolen vehicles.
• Ongoing: Maintain CBSA's 100% response rate for intelligence received from law enforcement to conduct container examinations.
• Develop and implement a "GPS tracking protocol" for auto theft victims to share location data of stolen vehicles with relevant authorities for safe retrieval.

Status as of November 2024

• The CBSA continues to provide 24/7 support to local police to coordinate requests to locate vehicles that may be in a marine port or intermodal facility.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

• Connect Canada's stolen motor vehicle records from the Canadian Police Information Centre to INTERPOL's Stolen Motor Vehicle Database.
• Ongoing work to respond to international requests about Canadian stolen vehicles on the INTERPOL Stolen Motor Vehicle Database and monitor for trends.

Status as of November 2024

• The RCMP continues to process international notifications and requests received through INTERPOL's Stolen Motor Vehicle database to better track stolen vehicles with international partners. This collaborative effort has led to the identification of stolen vehicle trafficking routes and international enforcement action. As of October 31, 2024, the RCMP received 2,666 notifications about Canadian vehicles and 491 international collaboration requests.
• The RCMP has a network of liaison officers and analysts around the world to collaborate with international partners. These analysts are working directly with Canadian law enforcement on Projects VECTOR/EMISSION/RECHERCHER to target and disrupt the international organized crime networks facilitating the stolen vehicle trade.

Public Safety Canada

• Invest $9.1 million over three years in municipal and provincial police services to improve their capacity to provide timely referrals, information and actionable intelligence to the CBSA, as well as take custody of stolen vehicles intercepted by CBSA.
• Invest $3.5 million over three years to support INTERPOL in combatting transnational organized vehicle crime.
• Through the National Crime Prevention Strategy, continue investing $51 million per year in community-based prevention initiatives for youth-at-risk for future involvement in the criminal justice system, including to prevent at-risk youth from joining gangs.
• Prioritize new project funding under the Youth Gang Prevention Fund for community-based initiatives that prevent at-risk youth form joining gangs and divert them from future involvement in criminal and anti-social activities, such as youth delinquency, auto theft, substance use and gun violence.
• Continue investing $390 million over five years to support provinces and territories through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to address the increased links between gun and gang violence and auto theft.

Status as of November 2024

• Public Safety Canada signed on to Project Drive Out, a joint initiative with INTERPOL to combat transnational vehicle crime. This project enhances information sharing between law enforcement agencies, member states and private industry and strengthen data analysis, in order to identify stolen vehicles and spare parts around the world and return them to Canada. Public Safety Canada is establishing contribution agreements to provide federal support to Quebec and Ontario to bolster law enforcement efforts targeting auto theft in the hardest hit provinces.
• The National Crime Prevention Strategy is currently investing $20 million in eight community-based Youth Gang Prevention Fund projects to help deter young people from becoming involved in crime, including gun violence and auto theft.
• On November 1, 2024, Public Safety Canada announced a call for applications for three programs under the National Crime Prevention Strategy: the Youth Gang Prevention Fund, the Crime Prevention Action Fund, and the Northern and Indigenous Crime Prevention Fund. All programs offer support to initiatives that address the complex factors that lead youth to get involved in violent criminal activity in the first place.

Transport Canada

• Work with public safety partners to identify high-risk Port facilities and conduct targeted security assessments for potential vulnerabilities.
  • Revise and validate security plans for high-risk container facilities.

Status as of November 2024

• Targeted security assessments are complete. Security plan revisions will be submitted to Transport Canada.
• Follow-up inspections to verify compliance with updated security plans are being planned for Spring 2025.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)

• Leverage existing programs to support innovation solutions for vehicle protection.

Status as of November 2024

• The Vehicle Theft Prevention (VTP) challenge through the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) program ran a call for proposals for phase 1 (proof of feasibility) from August 14, 2024 until September 25, 2024. It received 88 proposals, of which 20 met the mandatory criteria.
• Transport Canada is planning on issuing eight (8) phase 1 grants of $150,000 to phase 1 recipients this fiscal year, selecting from the 20 successful applicants. Recipients that have successfully completed phase 1 will be invited to submit a proposal under phase 2 (prototype development) and could receive grant funding through that phase, in the next fiscal year.

Ontario

Status as of November 2024

• In July 2024, the Ontario government invested $134 million over three years to establish a Joint Air Support Unit, which includes support for police services in acquiring five new police helicopters for use in the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa. The helicopters will help keep highways and roadways safe from violent carjackings, auto theft, street racing and impaired driving.
• Ontario will continue to target organized crime that fuels gang operations, such as vehicle theft rings, through a 2024 investment of $13.4 million. Funding will support a guns and gangs joint forces operation led by the OPP to increase intelligence sharing and enforcement across multiple jurisdictions, as well as a provincial guns and gangs support unit to assist with investigations and prosecutions.
• In May 2023, the Ontario government invested $51 million in new measures, including:
  • The creation of an Organized Crime Towing and Auto Theft Team led by the OPP to identify, disrupt and dismantle organized crime networks participating in vehicle theft.
  • A new community safety grant that will enable the OPP, municipal and First Nations police services to apply for funding for extra tools, supports and resources to address and prevent auto theft in their communities. Funding can be used for public education and awareness campaigns or technology to assist police with surveillance and identification of stolen vehicles.
  • The creation of a new Major Auto Theft Prosecution Response Team that will provide dedicated legal and prosecutorial support to the OPP to prepare and prosecute complex cases, with corresponding court support staff and resources.

Legislation, regulations, and governance

Justice

• Amend the Criminal Code to provide additional tools for law enforcement and prosecutors to address auto theft. These include:
  • New criminal offences related to auto theft involving the use of violence or links to organized crime; possession or distribution of an electronic device for the purposes of committing auto theft; and laundering proceeds of crime for the benefit of a criminal organization.
  • A new aggravating factor at sentencing if an offender involved a young person in committing an offence under the Criminal Code.
• Examine effectiveness of legislative tools to respond to auto theft and develop new responses if required.
• Announcing the government’s intention to amend the Criminal Code to strengthen bail and sentencing laws stricter to respond to the severity of auto theft, break and enter, extortion, and arson crimes committed by repeat, violent, and organized crime offenders as part of the 2024 Fall Economic Statement.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Amend the Radiocommunication Act to regulate the sale, distribution, and importation of radio devices used for auto theft.

Status as of November 2024

• Consultation input on radio devices is being closely reviewed.
• ISED continues to engage with industry and law enforcement on which devices and their uses may be subject to any new regulations.

Canada Border Services Agency

• Review existing legislation and regulations, such as the Customs Act, with a view to:
  • enhancing compliance with export controls
  • increasing accountability for all partners and facility operators involved in export operations
  • increasing penalties for non-compliance and false reporting
  • benefiting from international best practices
  • assessing legal authorities to ensure export regulations are effective for law enforcement.
• Introduce legislative amendments and regulations to compel rail and port operators to provide adequate accommodation for the examination for exported goods by CBSA officers.

Status as of November 2024

• The CBSA, in partnership with the Department of Justice, continues to review its legislative and regulatory frameworks in line with the commitment.

Transport Canada

• Modernize the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to ensure they consider technological advancements to deter and prevent auto theft.

Status as of November 2024

• Transport Canada published a “What We Heard” report summarizing the feedback received from its “Let’s Talk Transportation” consultation on updating Canada’s theft protection options for new vehicles.
• Targeted consultations with industry stakeholders are underway.

Ontario

• Police are utilizing the Radiocommunication Act to lay charges with some success.
• Amendments to the Highway Traffic Act were made in 2024 to establish a new provincial offence and penalties for Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) related fraud, including fines for knowingly using a false VIN. A conviction could result in fines of up to $75,000 for the first conviction and up to $100,000 for any subsequent conviction. The amendments also introduced imprisonment for up to six months and suspension of a driver's license or vehicle permit for up to one year.
• These new penalties will come into effect upon proclamation.