The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) claims the cost of auto theft in Alberta has jumped by 65 per cent over the past three years and it is calling on the provincial government to do more to help combat the crime.
New data released Thursday by the IBC shows that insurance claims for stolen vehicles in Alberta totalled $110.3 million in 2024.
That’s a huge jump over 2021 when claims totalled $67 million.
Over the longer term, IBC said, in the decade between 2014 and 2024, the cost of auto theft increased by 161 per cent.
The province’s two biggest cities are where most of the vehicles are stolen, including more than $37 million in claims for stolen vehicles in Calgary in 2024 and close to $29 million in Edmonton.
They join Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray and Medicine Hat on the list of the top five Alberta cities for auto theft claims.
IBC vice-president Aaron Sutherland credited the Alberta government for announcing a series of reforms to auto insurance last year, which the province claims will make insurance more affordable. However, Sutherland is also calling on the province to do more to help reduce the number of stolen vehicles.
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“Addressing the auto theft crisis requires urgent action on multiple fronts,” said Sutherland.
The actions the insurance industry is asking the province to take include:
- Prohibit the vehicle information number (VIN) override function at registries, making it more difficult to change vehicle information for the purpose of fraud or theft;
- Update and standardize bills of sale for vehicles, making it more difficult to sell stolen or reVINed vehicles;
- Restrict third-party vehicle registrations to dealerships; and,
- Implement an insurance validation program (IVP), making it easier for law enforcement and auto registries to confirm that a vehicle has active insurance.
“It’s extremely concerning that as other provinces, like Ontario, have taken action to make it more difficult for car thieves to operate and have seen a reduction in auto theft as a result while we continue to see the opposite trend here in Alberta,” said Sutherland.
Police forces in Alberta have blamed the sophisticated techniques used by organized crime for a recent decline in the number of stolen vehicles that are recovered in Alberta.
“We’re likely seeing organized crime move westward,” said Sutherland, “driving up auto theft in Alberta, adding costs and pressure to insurance premiums.”
In a written response to an inquiry from Global News, the office of Nate Horner, minister of treasury board and finance, said “Alberta is cracking down on auto theft.”
“Alberta’s government is adding more boots on the ground with historic investments to hire hundreds of new police officers and expand law enforcement resources in high-crime areas….Alberta’s government will continue working with law enforcement and industry to strengthen protections against auto theft and fraud.
“We will continue to review the IBC’s report moving forward.”
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