Car thefts are suddenly way down across Ontario

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Tonight on Village Media's new 'Closer Look' podcast: One month after masked men tried to steal a vehicle out of Doug Ford's driveway, a new report finds a major decline in reported auto thefts.

Last year, when the provincial and federal governments announced millions of dollars in funding to crack down on car thieves, Ontario Premier Doug Ford had a stern warning for would-be criminals: “We’re coming after you.”

They actually came after him, it turned out. But in the end, the government crackdown appears to be working.

A new report released this week found the number of vehicles reported stolen across Canada is way down during the first six months of 2025 — including in Ontario, where reported auto theft has dropped nearly 26 per cent.

Équité Association, the industry group that released the report, credits much of the drop to collective efforts aimed at combating the crime from coast to coast.

Our guest on tonight's Closer Look podcast is Bryan Gast, a former OPP officer who is now the national vice-president of investigative services at Équité Association.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

New episodes of Closer Look drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. across the Village Media network, or wherever you find your favourite podcasts. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

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