Toronto’s out-of-control car theft epidemic has attracted international attention, with a new New York Times cover story portraying the city as a lawless haven for criminals and a key hub for the global car theft trade.
Toronto’s car theft epidemic is no stranger to locals: skyrocketing theft statistics, the seizure of shipping containers full of luxury cars and audacious high-tech robberies are all old news to anyone who’s followed GTA news over the past two years.
But the problem is now becoming so serious that our neighbors to the south are beginning to take notice.
The New York Times published an article on Saturday about the city’s car theft problem titled, “Toronto is a ‘candy store’ for car thieves, and drivers are fed up.”
Toronto’s car theft spree has many residents outraged, with some turning to creative deterrents like installing bollards in their driveways. https://t.co/440i4ddzw6
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) February 24, 2024
The article looks at the arms race between thieves and car owners, and the increasing efforts motorists are making to prevent their cars from being loaded into shipping containers destined for overseas markets.
Toronto resident Dennis Wilson told The Times that he has to add an extra 15 minutes to his commute because of the many security precautions he takes, including two car alarms, a tracking device, four Apple AirTags, motion-detecting floodlights and a key fob kept in a hack-proof Faraday bag.
Toronto is known as a lawless place for car theft, but people who don’t know that seem shocked to learn that drivers have multiple layers of security measures in place to thwart theft, including steering wheel locks and retractable drive-up bollards.
This is one of the most surprising things about this article. pic.twitter.com/iyqgNEtMCu
— Pedro Porto Alegre (@PedroPAlegre) February 26, 2024
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown echoed a local issue that has attracted international attention, pressuring officials to “ensure the security of our ports and intermodal hubs” through additional funding to the Canada Border Services Agency.
The U.S. media is now talking about Canada’s vulnerability to car theft. The New York Times We’re talking about a crisis in Toronto, but it’s not unique to the city. Ontario and Quebec are seeing a surge in car thefts. This trend will continue unless we secure our ports and intermodal transport systems… pic.twitter.com/xvYeFMjvxI
— Patrick Brown (@patrickbrownont) February 24, 2024
In 2015, the magazine criticized locals’ apparent indifference to the $2.5 billion investment in the Pan American Games. Four years later, Toronto locals were outraged by the magazine’s claim that Drake had put the city on the map.
In 2022, Toronto once again attracted negative attention after The New York Times wrote an article about the conditions travellers were facing at Pearson Airport.
But The Times’ coverage hasn’t always been negative, with the paper’s editors showing some love for Toronto’s turkey-shaped Robert Library in late 2022.