Ontario government wants to give police authority to search for, seize electronic tools used by car thieves

4 hour_ago 3

Toronto·New

Proposed measure would ace down connected devices utilized to wirelessly hack into cars, Ontario's proscription curate said Tuesday. The state volition besides found a squad dedicated to supporting constabulary successful Ontario's car theft blistery spots.

Proposed measure would ace down connected devices utilized to wirelessly hack into cars, says minister

Ethan Lang · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 29, 2025 1:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

A man's manus holds a car cardinal fob adjacent to a reddish sedan parked connected a driveway during daytime

In its combat against car theft, the Ontario authorities is proposing caller authorities that would let constabulary to hunt for and prehend keyless physics devices utilized to bargain cars.

At a quality league successful Brampton Tuesday, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria told reporters the state would soon array a measure to amend the Highway Traffic Act truthful constabulary can crack down connected items similar cardinal fob programming devices, fob scanners and smartphone apps.

"This volition springiness constabulary the beardown tools they request to support these devices disconnected the streets," Sarkaria said. "Let maine beryllium clear, anyone utilizing these devices to bargain a conveyance volition look the afloat consequences of their actions."

Lawful usage of these devices by car dealers, repair services and roadside assistance would beryllium exempt, helium said.

Auto thefts successful Ontario person been trending down implicit the past year, Sarkaria said, with a 16 per cent driblet successful 2024 compared to 2023. But helium said the caller measure would code a increasing inclination of thieves utilizing keyless exertion to bargain cars.

WATCH | Are efforts to combat car theft successful Canada working?:

Car thefts successful Canada are down. Have initiatives to combat the occupation really worked?

Though the amplitude of the occupation is inactive significant, it appears efforts to curb car thefts successful the state person begun to wage off. Canada’s security transgression watchdog says thefts dropped astir 18 per cent successful 2024 crossed the state and astir 33 per cent successful Quebec.

Peel constabulary Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich told reporters that instrumentality enforcement welcomes the support.

"It is different measurement guardant successful supporting our assemblage and our work successful the captious enactment that they bash each time to dismantle organized transgression and clasp offenders accountable," helium said.

Peel Region was dubbed the "auto theft superior of Canada" astatine a nationalist acme connected car theft past year. The portion had the astir cars stolen per capita successful the state successful 2023, according to constabulary data.

The state volition besides found a caller squad dedicated to supporting constabulary successful car theft blistery spots astir Ontario, Sarkaria said, including Toronto, Ottawa, London, Brampton, Newmarket, Durham and Windsor. It would supply ineligible advice, enactment prosecutors and assistance dismantle organized transgression successful those areas, Sarkaria said.

That's successful summation to a provincial carjacking task force created successful the autumn of 2023.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ethan Lang is simply a newsman for CBC Toronto. Ethan has besides worked successful Whitehorse, wherever helium covered the Yukon Legislative Assembly, and Halifax, wherever helium wrote connected lodging and forestry for the Halifax Examiner.

read-entire-article