Press Releases

TORONTO, July 16, 2024 /CNW/ – Équité Association, the national authority on insurance crime, releases its First Half of 2024 Auto Theft Trend Report.After Canadians have endured peak years of auto theft crimes in 2022 and 2023, the first half of 2024 national auto theft trends are starting to show a decrease of 17% as compared to the same period in 2023. These positive national results are a testament to the collaborative efforts of the insurance industry, federal and provincial governments, law enforcement agencies, and Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) to reduce auto theft and disrupt the flow of funds to organized crime. Albeit early days of this new trend, continued focus is crucial to preventing vehicle thefts before they happen.

Équité Association, Canada's national authority on insurance crime, released a new report detailing the scope and impact of cargo and heavy equipment theft across the country today. Équité maintains Canada’s only cargo theft database with information on stolen trucks, trailers, cargo, and heavy equipment.

Équité Association applauds a significant step forward in the fight against auto theft in Canada. The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, has announced the deployment of a cutting-edge mobile X-ray scanner in the Greater Toronto Area. This advanced technology, part of the National Action Plan Combatting Auto Theft, will play a crucial role in disrupting, dismantling, and prosecuting the organized criminal groups behind these crimes.

Équité Association, the national authority on insurance crime, thanks Public Safety Canada for the comprehensive, solution-focused National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft announced today. The Action Plan closely aligns to recommendations, which Équité has been advocating for, on behalf of the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry.

More than $9 million will be given to provincial, territorial and municipal police forces through the Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime (CPCSOC), another $3.5 million will go to INTERPOL’s joint transnational vehicle crime project, and $2.4 million will be used for the government to continue to engage its domestic and international partners to ensure a coordinated response to Canada’s auto theft crisis. In response to today’s announcement, Terri O’Brien, President and CEO of Équité Association offered the following statement of support:

Following her participation in today’s National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft, Terri O’Brien, President & CEO of Équité Association responds with the following statement. As Canada’s national authority on insurance crime and fraud prevention, Équité Association was honoured to speak on behalf of the insurance industry at today’s National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft.

Équité Association has released its 2023 Auto Theft Trend Report, which illustrates the continuation of the national auto theft crisis, following a historically high year in 2022. The full report can be found here.

Aujourd'hui, le gouvernement fédéral a annoncé qu'il investirait 121 millions de dollars sur cinq ans pour lutter contre la violence liée aux armes à feu et aux gangs, ainsi que le vol d'automobiles en Ontario. Il s'agit d'un investissement important dans la lutte contre le vol d'automobiles, qui a augmenté de 48,3 % en Ontario depuis 2021. L'Association de l'équité salue cet effort de collaboration entre le gouvernement fédéral et le gouvernement de l'Ontario pour lutter contre ce crime grave et organisé, assurant ainsi la sécurité des collectivités de toute la province.

On Sunday, January 21, 2024, Public Safety Canada, along with key federal ministers, announced the National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft, scheduled for February 8, 2024. The Summit will include leaders from key jurisdictions and industry sectors collaborating to identify actions to combat auto theft and strengthen current initiatives. As Canada’s authority on insurance fraud and crime, Équité Association, applauds this collaborative effort to combat serious and organized crime and ensure the safety of communities across Canada.

Paul Johnstone, President, Chubb Insurance Company of Canada, has been appointed the new Chair of the Board of Directors at Équité Association. Mr. Johnstone has over 30 years of insurance experience, with an extensive background in underwriting, marketing and strategic distribution expansion across key client segments and product groups. Mr. Johnstone joined Chubb Insurance Company of Canada in 1994 as an associate in Commercial Insurance and has held pivotal roles spanning both the reinsurance and P&C sectors. Mr. Johnstone was appointed President, Chubb Insurance Company of Canada in June 2022.