Car flights are down 19 % this year compared to 2024

The flights of cars in the country experienced a 19 % drop in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to a new Association equity report.

The document reports considerable decreases in Ontario (-25.9 %) and Quebec (-22.2 %). This year, until now, 9,600 flights of the genre have been identified in Ontario against 12,949 during the same period last year. In Quebec, now, 3,889 vehicles were stolen, when there had been 5,000 last year.

Canada is today a safer country than it was at the height of the car flight crisisdeclares Terra O’Brien, President and Director General of Association equity. The report data show that we make significant progress towards the objective of protecting Canadians from organized crime at the origin of the automobile flight crisis.

In the Atlantic and Western Canada provinces, the vehicle flight rate has dropped by 9 %. That of Alberta decreased by 12.5 %.

This is the second year in a row that flights are down, says Bryan Gast, national vice-president of Association equity investigation services. Last year was the first year when we found a drop. We hoped that it was not a simple anomalyhe explains.

The need for harmonized standards

Despite the progress, Mr. Gast believes that there is still work to do.

Our organization recently participated in the advisory committee on standards and the commitment of UL standard & commitment in order to develop harmonized standards between Canada and the United States relating to equipment and anti-theft systems for vehicleshe underlines. The next step is to implement this new standard in order to prevent vehicle theft and reduce the number of automobile flights on both sides of the border.

The report also highlights concerns related to the evolution of criminal strategies. Indeed, equity investigators observed a trend which consists in stealing vehicles to dismantle them. The identification numbers are then modified, which complicates research.

It is not a crime without victim. It’s not just a crime against property. These vehicles are stolen, then used to finance organized crime, whether for profits from dismantling workshops or for other purposes.

He adds that each motorist is responsible for equipping his vehicle adequately to avoid any flight.

Stay in your garage if you have one. Never leave your keys in the vehicle. Make sure your windows and doors are locked. Use a steering and pedal anti -theft. Stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity he advises.