As number of auto thefts drops in Ontario, Alberta logs highest per-capita theft rate [Video]

Canada’s auto theft rate for private passenger vehicles dropped by almost 19 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year — but the non-profit that collected the data says the number of stolen vehicles is still “unreasonably” high.

And Alberta is emerging as an area of concern because thieves there seem to be shifting their attention away from older trucks — often used to commit crimes and then abandoned — toward newer, higher value vehicles stolen for export.

The Équité Association, an insurance crime watchdog, reports that more than 57,000 private passenger vehicles were stolen in Canada last year, down from over 70,000 in 2023.

The association’s report tracks thefts of household vehicles like cars, trucks, vans and SUVs and does not include thefts of commercial vehicles.

Bryan Gast, Équité Association’s vice president of investigative services, said that Alberta now has the highest per capita vehicle theft rate — …