MISSISSAUGA, Ontario – Dominic LeBlanc, minister of public safety, democratic institutions and intergovernmental affairs, announced, June 16, 2024, the deployment of a mobile X-ray scanner to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This technology will increase the examination of containers in Ontario.
“Auto theft is a serious and often violent crime that cannot be tolerated. The government of Ontario has long advocated for enhanced measures on our streets and in our ports and rail yards to help curb the trade of stolen vehicles. New X-ray scanners are needed at our critical rail yards and ports to stop the illegal export of stolen cars from Ontario and Canada.” ~ Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General of Ontario.
This is one of the initiatives being undertaken as part of the National Action Plan Combatting Auto Theft, which focuses on disrupting, dismantling, and prosecuting the organized criminal groups behind auto theft. The government of Canada continues to explore solutions and to identify the most efficient methods in the interception of stolen vehicles, including using non-intrusive inspection technology to assist in examinations and seizures.
Auto theft is impacting Canadians, particularly in our urban centres. It increasingly involves organized crime groups, who are using the proceeds of those thefts to fund other illegal activities. There is no single solution to this complex problem. Through the Government of Canada’s national leadership, and cooperation between governments, industry and law enforcement, we are beginning to see results – and the Government of Canada intends to build on them.
Border services officers conduct daily export examination and select containers of interest for secondary examination at docks or warehouses. The CBSA acts on 100 percent of referrals received from the police and also conducts searches based on its own intelligence. So far in 2024, the CBSA has intercepted more than 1,300 stolen vehicles in railyards and ports, including 452 in the GTA.
