New Brunswick has recorded the highest auto theft insurance claims costs in Atlantic Canada, according to new data from the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).
While the region as a whole saw a slight decline in theft-related claims in 2024, long-term trends point to a sharp increase in both the frequency and cost of auto theft over the past decade. Total insurance claims tied to stolen vehicles in Atlantic Canada exceeded $31 million in 2024, up from $8.4 million in 2014, marking a 275% increase.
New Brunswick accounted for more than half of that total, with 788 claims amounting to over $16 million. Since 2014, theft-related claims in the province have risen by 228%. Cities including Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John have experienced the sharpest increases in auto theft claims costs across the region over the past 10 years.
“All orders of government should continue to take action on the auto theft crisis in Atlantic Canada and across the country. However, it is most critical to tackle the crisis in New Brunswick to ensure it doesn’t become one of the country’s primary hot spots for vehicle thefts,” said Amanda Dean, vice-president, Ontario and Atlantic, IBC. “Auto theft is not a victimless crime. A stolen car is just the tip of the iceberg. The proceeds from stolen vehicles fund organized crime, and the amount of this illicit funding is staggeringly high – and growing. The time to act is now.”
Although New Brunswick experienced a slight drop of 4.8% in theft claims compared to 2023, that decrease was not enough to offset the long-term rise. Elsewhere in the region, Prince Edward Island saw the largest year-over-year decline at nearly 19%, while theft claims rose by over 12% in Nova Scotia and around 6% in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Dean pointed to the federal government’s 2024 auto theft summit as a starting point for broader action. “We need to treat vehicle theft as the national crisis that it is. It affects people and communities in every corner of the region and beyond,” she said.
IBC and Atlantic Canada’s insurers are urging provincial governments to increase enforcement capacity, including the creation of dedicated auto theft units with prosecutorial support. They also recommend expanding programs that allow vehicle insurance status to be instantly verified at the time of registration, such as the Insurance Validation Program recently introduced in Newfoundland and Labrador.
At the federal level, industry groups are calling for continued implementation of the National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft. That includes modernising Canada’s vehicle safety standards to make cars harder to steal and boosting the ability of the Canada Border Services Agency to prevent stolen vehicles from leaving the country. Insurers are also pushing for improvements to the Interprovincial Record Exchange, which would allow for better data sharing and help close registration loopholes that facilitate theft.
Despite short-term fluctuations, insurers say the long-term increase in auto theft claims across Atlantic Canada highlights the need for coordinated responses at both the provincial and federal levels.
