A new report from Équité is showing auto theft is on the decline compared to 2025. Équité Association’s first half of 2026 auto theft trend report reveals a national decrease of 10.1 per cent in the first half of 2026 when compared to last year. They say in order to maintain these numbers and keep the trend, anti-theft requirements are an essential next step to improve community safety. Bryan Gast, national vice president of intelligence and investigations for Équité said there has been a decline for the last three-years. “So far this year where we’ve seen a decline, almost back to pre-pandemic numbers, which still means there’s still a lot of vehicles being stolen,” said Gast In the first half of 2025, 9,601 vehicles were reported stolen Ontario, compared to the 8,796 in the first half of 2026, a decrease of 8.4 per cent. “Barrie, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, the majority of Ontario, it’s really the SUVs and pickup trucks,” said Gast. “Those and the newer models.” John Brooks, staff sergeant of criminal investigations for Barrie Police Services said auto theft continues to be a problem within the city, and people should take the necessary precautions. “We highly recommend that if you do buy one of these high end vehicles that are targeted for thefts, that you install an aftermarket G.P.S. in the vehicle or an aftermarket ignition kill switch,” said Brooks. “That’s the best preventative.” Brooks added that a majority of vehicle thefts are part of a larger organized criminal network. In May, Barrie and South Simcoe Police announced they had seized 40 stolen vehicles heading overseas, valued at $3 million. Adding once your vehicle has been stolen, it can be difficult to find. “The vehicles that we do recover through investigation predominantly we are recovering in rail yards that are being shipped out east or in sea containers, getting ready to be shipped overseas,” said Brooks. With Gast adding that the people taking your cars are doing it using technology. “Criminals are able to access the computer, the electronics of that vehicle with relative ease and they’re either reprograming key fobs or accessing the vehicle through various points and able to start that vehicle,” said Gast. He added that Transport Canada has not updated their anti-theft policies since 2007 that would force auto makers to build more advanced anti-theft mechanisms in vehicles and ultimately decrease auto theft even more. Transport Canada committed to modernizing their policies in 2024.
