Terri O'Brien

Insurance was created to provide a foundation of security, and insurance crime fundamentally undermines this system, compromising that sense of safety and erodes our peace-of-mind. Any intentional activity to commit fraud by making inaccurate claims for financial gain constitutes insurance crime, which is a serious matter and one that has become more pervasive and emboldened in recent years.

Collaboration is our biggest strength and the proof can be seen in the success of Équité Association’s recent ‘Scams Leave Lasting Scars’ campaign. The goal of the campaign was to leverage the momentum we have from combating auto theft to expand awareness to other forms of insurance fraud, focusing on the significant and often devastating human impact of these crimes.

On November 19, we announced the Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles in Canada of 2023, which revealed the Toyota Highlander as the new number one. The Toyota Highlander is a popular model in Canada, which is globally serviceable and has a high resale value both domestically and internationally so criminals can maximize their profits from the illegal sale.The trends continue to be similar to last year with preferences for newer models with nearly all of the vehicles on the national list being 2019 or newer. These vehicles tend to have vulnerabilities that come with keyless ignitions, particularly as they do not come equipped with anti-theft devices aligned to the ULC 338 Anti-theft Standards.

As Canada’s national authority on insurance crime, our achievements demonstrate the effectiveness of our strategy as we continue to protect Canadians, support members, and advance our strategic objectives. We continue to focus on the importance of addressing insurance crime to keep Canadians safe and stemming the flow of funds into organized crime. Équité was at the centre-point of collaboration between the industry, law enforcement, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), government, and industry partners. These partnerships saw the success of large-scale projects and the recovery of stolen vehicles, as well as repatriation efforts. As trusted experts, we increased operational efforts to deliver ~$185M in value to the industry.

As the national authority on insurance crime and fraud prevention, Équité Association is a not-for-profit organization, supporting Property and Casualty (P&C) insurers in Canada to fight fraud by using advanced analytics, intelligence best practices, and coordinated investigations.At Équité, we recognize that the cornerstone of our collective success is rooted in our unwavering commitment to meeting the needs of our members to meaningfully reduce insurance crime. In 2023, our continued commitment to deliver value to our member insurers while protecting Canadians against insurance crimes drove the following notable successes.

Last June, Équité Association announced that auto theft was a national crisis. Since then, Équité has been advocating for comprehensive solutions to combat all facets of the crisis which is a complex problem that requires a multi-faceted solution. Public Safety Canada’s (PSC) strong leadership on combatting Canada’s auto theft crisis has been steady since we announced auto theft as a national crisis in 2023. With Équité being the national authority on insurance crime, we were invited to meet regularly with federal and provincial government leaders, to contribute recommendations and insights. PSC approached the daunting task of creating an action plan thoughtfully and with an openness to fully understand all of the underlying nuances, history and complexities of the crisis.

Équité Association’s 2022 Vehicle Theft Trend Report (June 2023) shows that Canadian vehicles are being increasingly targeted by criminal organizations across Canada and internationally. In 2022, over 40,000 vehicles (excluding British Columbia) were stolen in Canada, accumulating losses for Canadians of over $1.1 billion, at a time when consumer affordability and inflation are critical issues.

As human beings, we are wired to seek meaningful connections. Whether professionally or personally, connecting with something outside of ourselves gives us purpose. That sense of purpose is what makes us feel as though what we do matters. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Purpose also fuels our engagement; it motivates us to contribute, pushes us to overcome obstacles, and equips us with greater resiliency.

In my July blog, I wrote about the many benefits of shifting from an inward to an outward mindset. At Équité Association, we are committed to investing in each other’s success whether it be our colleagues, our members, or our partners. We believe in exploring possibilities together as we continue to grow as an organization. In order to do so, we need to stay curious and consistently seek out new opportunities to learn – because when we learn, we grow.

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about how and why we grow. When I look back on my career, I can pinpoint definitive transformational moments of growth, and each of these have something in common: They required me to reach beyond myself, to see things differently, or to change my mindset. Growth can feel uncomfortable, but I am fortunate to have a supportive network of friends, family, colleagues and mentors – all of whom provide diverse perspectives. But in the quiet moments of thought and introspection, I find myself reaching for a book for guidance and insight.