TORONTO — Ontario is planning to create a brand new provincial offence for fraudulent car registrations as a approach to deal with auto theft.
TORONTO — Ontario is planning to create a brand new provincial offence for fraudulent car registrations as a approach to deal with auto theft.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria made the announcement Friday, saying it’s geared toward instances of auto identification quantity fraud, through which somebody steals a VIN from a automobile and makes use of that quantity to register a stolen car.
“It is these kinds of actions that, regardless of seeming like virtually victimless crimes, are driving carjackings, late-night robberies and chaos in communities all through the province,” he stated.
Proposed laws would create a brand new Freeway Visitors Act offence of knowingly offering a false car identification quantity when making use of for a car allow.
It might include penalties of as much as $100,000 in fines, as much as six months in jail, and driver’s licence or car allow suspensions.
The invoice would additionally increase careless driving legal guidelines to parking heaps with a purpose to assist police reply to unsanctioned automobile rallies and avenue racing, Sarkaria stated.
The announcement comes on the identical day that Toronto police introduced 59 arrests and 302 {charges} in an auto theft investigation that concerned using fraudulent VINs, alleging that some ServiceOntario staff have been concerned.
Supt. Ron Taverner stated the workers are alleged to have knowingly used pretend paperwork offered by suspects to make it appear to be the VINs have been official, after which registered Ontario licence plates to the fraudulent VINs.
No ServiceOntario staff have been arrested, however Taverner stated “they are going to be.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Nov. 1, 2024.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
