Équité Association Commends the Ontario Government for including Auto Theft in its 2023 Fall Economic Statement

TORONTO, November 2, 2023 /CNW/ – Today, the Ontario Government released its fall economic statement which includes a more dedicated effort to cracking down on the auto theft crisis in Ontario. This is in addition to the $51 million financial investment announced earlier this year for the creation a dedicated Auto Theft Team led by the Ontario Provincial Police, a new community safety grant, and a Major Auto Theft Prosecution Response team.

Today’s announcement called for the Government of Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Montreal and Halifax Port Authorities, and shipping container and rail companies to support efforts to combat auto theft.  

Équité Association has been a long-standing partner of Ontario law enforcement agencies, Port Authorities, the CBSA, and the RCMP and welcomes today’s announcement.

In response, Bryan Gast, VP, Investigative Services at Équité Association offered the following statement of support:

"Équité Association would like to commend the Ontario Government on today’s announcement. Auto theft in Ontario is at a crisis level, increasing 31% year-over-year in the first half of 2023. The government is absolutely correct when it points out that auto theft is funding advanced organized crime networks and putting our communities at risk. Our investigative team looks forward to continuing our close collaboration with the CBSA, Port Authorities, the provincial government and law enforcement agencies across the province. Ontario’s auto theft problem cannot be remedied in isolation; it requires this kind of dedication and a collaborative approach to ultimately combatting this crime and protecting the people of Ontario.”

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About Équité Association

Équité Association is a not-for-profit, national organization, supporting Canadian property and casualty (P&C) insurers. Équité combats the insurance crime problem that exploits vulnerable Canadians through advanced analytics, intelligence best practices, and coordinated investigations. Delivering improved service and fraud analytics for vehicle, property, and cargo recovery to its members, Équité collaborates with law enforcement, partners and industry organizations to protect Canadians against exploitation.

For further information, contact Jordan Kerbel, Director, Media Relations, Équité Association, media@equiteco.ca.

Learn more about Équité Association at https://www.equiteassociation.com/.