Feds grant Ontario $121M to combat gun, gang and auto crime

The federal government announced it will be investing $121 million to help combat gun, gang and auto crime in Ontario.

The money will go towards crime prevention and enforcement efforts by affording municipal police services additional funding to deal with the “organized crime linkages,” around auto theft throughout the region, according to Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

LeBlanc made the announcement in Aurora, Ont., early Wednesday.

“Too many families in the Greater Toronto Area, and across the country have been impacted by auto theft,” Leblanc said. “By working together, we can make our communities safer through greater enforcement, collaboration, and prevention.”

The funding comes a week before a national summit on combatting auto theft is set to convene in Ottawa.

According to recent reports, auto theft has greatly widened in scope throughout Ontario and increasingly involves organized crime groups.

READ MORE: 11 charged in alleged car theft ring operating in GTA, southwest Ontario, police say

Approximately 9,600 cars were stolen in Toronto in 2022 alone, marking a 300 per cent increase since 2015, according to findings from the Canadian Finance and Leasing Association.

Just recently, a joint effort between local Halton police officers and several other municipal, provincial and federal law enforcement agencies broke up an elaborate car theft ring and arrested 15 individuals who, in total, face 75 separate charges.

READ MORE: 15 arrests, 75 charges laid in connection with GTA car theft investigation

But it isn’t just car theft that’s up. Toronto police reported a 104 per cent increase in carjackings between 2021 and 2022.

In Hamilton there has been a carjacking at least once a month since November 2023.

Hamilton police say 2023 has been the worst year for vehicle jacking in the last decade, which is defined as a vehicle being taken from its owner by force.

A total of 17 incidents were recorded in 2023. Hamilton’s average is 10 incidents per year.

Carjackings can be a violent and dangerous situation. Back in December, on Hamilton’s east mountain, a carjacker pointed a gun at a married couple who was trying to stop their car from being stolen while parked in their friend’s driveway.

READ MORE: ‘I looked up, I’m looking in the barrel of the gun’: Car theft caught on camera

Another incident back in November led Peel police on a high-speed pursuit, which was also caught on camera, after a man who was selling his vehicle was robbed at gunpoint by the prospective buyer.

READ MORE: 

• Man wanted for alleged kidnapping, car theft at Niagara Falls hotel
• Hamilton police seek 2 suspects after ‘violent’ armed carjacking attempt
• Teen charged, 3 wanted after armed carjacking on Hamilton Mountain
• 20-year-old pair arrested following armed carjacking in Stoney Creek

The money is part of an ongoing initiative called the Initiative to take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (ITAAGGV).

The ITAAGGV is a 5-year plan that is spreading a $390 million investment across the country. It is then distributed to local law enforcement agencies to augment their ongoing efforts to tackle gun and gang crime.

Ontario is slated to receive $121 million through the incentive between 2023 and 2028.