The Big Smoke is gaining notoriety for an altogether different reason.Not only is Toronto the self-proclaimed centre of the universe, it’s also become the hands down leader in auto theft.More than 12,000 vehicles were stolen on Toronto city streets in 2023, which works out to 34 a day, or more than one every 40 minutes, Chief Myron Demkiw said in an update on Monday..“We are putting a significant amount of resources to address this citywide, and have seen an escalation of violence, threats and intimidation, where weapons are being used to steal vehicles.” Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw.In addition, the number of carjackings has jumped more than 106% thus far in 2024. The number of break and enters related to vehicle thefts — where someone breaks into the house to snatch the car keys — is also up, he said.And the numbers continue to rise. In Toronto, home invasions and break-ins for auto thefts rose 400 per cent last year, the Toronto Police Service said.To the west, in Peel Region, vehicle thefts have been steady in 2024, with an average of 22 cars stolen daily. Almost 1,600 vehicles have been stolen since Jan. 1; just 41 of those cases have been solved..The New York Times ran an article calling Toronto a “candy store“ for car thieves and said Canadian insurers paid out a “dizzying” $1.2 billion in theft claims in 2022.The Insurance Bureau of Canada called it a “nationals crisis.”“We are putting a significant amount of resources to address this citywide, and have seen an escalation of violence, threats and intimidation, where weapons are being used to steal vehicles.” It comes after Toronto police came under fire for their auto theft response after an officer at an Etobicoke community meeting suggested residents leave their keys by the front door to limit the threat of violent home invasions.“To prevent the possibility of being attacked in your home, leave your fobs at your front door,” Const. Marco Ricciardi said at a meeting last week..“We might as well leave cookies and milk at the front door along with a note. ‘Dear Mr. Criminal, the keys are in the mailbox, don’t kick my door in.’”Ontario Premier Doug Ford.“A lot of them that they’re arresting have guns on them, and they are not toy guns,” he ominously added: “They are real guns. They’re loaded.”Ricciardi further suggested “that people leave the keys to their vehicle in a faraday bag by the front door.”“While well meaning, there are also other ways to prevent auto theft motivated home invasions,” he continued.That drew the ire of Premier Doug Ford who drew a parallel with leaving treats out for Santa at Christmas. “I just didn’t understand the answer,” the premier said. “We might as well leave cookies and milk at the front door along with a note. ‘Dear Mr. Criminal, the keys are in the mailbox, don’t kick my door in.’”
