New data from the Insurance Bureau of Canada spotlights Atlantic Canada as becoming a hot spot for auto theft, with the region experiencing a 13% increase in auto theft claims during the first half of 2024 — the largest such spike in the country.
According to IBC, auto theft claims jumped 116% over the past decade in the region. Furthermore, costs related to these claims are going up, with auto theft claims costs increasing 11.8% since the previous year, during the first half of 2024. Over the past 10 years, auto theft claims costs soared by 265% in Atlantic Canada.
“Opportunistic car thieves are increasingly shifting their focus to Atlantic Canada and away from provinces such as Ontario and Québec, which have invested significantly in combating auto theft,” said Amanda Dean, Vice-President, Ontario and Atlantic, IBC, in a statement.
She added that the growth in auto theft in this region is putting pressure on auto premiums and compromising the safety and security of residents.
In a news release, IBC said Nova Scotia experienced the highest increase in auto theft claims in the region at 26.6%, when comparing auto theft claims in the first half of 2024 to those in the first half of 2023. New Brunswick jumped 14.4%, Prince Edward Island 10.5%, and Newfoundland and Labrador actually saw a decrease of -26% — although IBC said overall claims costs in the province remained consistent with those in the first half of 2023.
The company is calling on “all orders” of the government to implement the recommendations outlined in its National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft.
“Atlantic Canada is in the midst of an auto theft crisis and without action it will only get worse,” said Dean in a statement. “We need provincial governments to work swiftly with the federal government to implement the recommendations in the national action plan.”
Specifically, he said there is a need for investments in Atlantic ports to make it more difficult to export stolen vehicles. “We also need the Atlantic provinces to provide more resources for inter-agency law enforcement that’s focused on auto theft.”
