Port of Montreal mystery on car thefts: Stop taking us for fools

Are you sitting well?

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In four years in Canada, the number of car thefts increased by 299%. In Quebec, we are talking about a 50% increase by 2022. Today, every five minutes, a vehicle is stolen in the country.

This security issue has become political. So the Trudeau government chose to organize a national summit on auto theft. A beginning of something.

port

However, for months, I have been hearing and reading these horror stories about these planes. And I heard what politicians, police, port officials and others had to say during yesterday's summit.

One thing we notice: all these stories always converge at a certain point.

Port of Montreal.

And no one has a clear explanation. That's what makes it attractive.

Why is the Port of Montreal a port of call and a hub for planes? The mystery of life.

Why is Africa and the Middle East a prime destination for sending cars? Another mystery.

Why is a stolen car in Alberta picked up at the Port of Montreal when the rules in Vancouver, Halifax or elsewhere are the same everywhere? Another mystery.

As we know, the port is already infiltrated by criminal gangs. In 2011, it was described as a hotspot for organized crime. In 2020, there was talk of corrupt “quiet cells” in the ports of Montreal and New York.

When asked about the thefts, no one at the port identified a problem. We were told: Yes, but we have security arms, security, and anyone who wants can't enter.

We must stop taking ourselves for fools. Something is wrong with the Port of Montreal and if car thefts have exploded, it's because it's so easy to get them out of the country. The problem is first.

Feeling insecure

It would be wrong to ignore the effects of this type of scourge.

The effects of this are felt in our insurance costs. We pay for the enrichment of criminal networks.

And we emphasize the sense of insecurity. This is not just an administrative problem. These small and large problems – and increasingly violent – weigh on our lives.

And your home?

Is your municipality a frequent target of car thieves?

Find out in this map compiled by our Bureau of Investigation, which lets you track down the street in some of the cities where thousands of vehicles have been stolen in Quebec since the beginning of the year.

Municipality (Number of Flights)

Number of flights to same address

method

This map of vehicle thefts in Quebec covers the year 2023, from January 1 to June 30 to October 12, depending on the city.

Data are obtained from the Sûreté du Québec, the police service of the city of Montreal, the city of Laval, the city of Longueuil, the police service of the city of Gatineau, the police service of the city of Quebec, the police service. From the city of Levis, from the police service of Sherbrooke, from the city of Blaineville, from the police service of Chateauguay, from the police service from the city of Muscoche, from the city of Granby, from the city of Trois-Rivières, the police department of the city of Bromont, the police department of Lac des Deux-Montagnes, the police department of Memphrémagog, the police of the city of Saint-Eustache Department, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Police Department, Repentigny City, Mirabel City and Équité Association. Some information was obtained through access.

Municipalities may include vehicles such as motorcycles, trucks or boats on their balance sheets. As for location data, it was sent to us in different formats: postal code, street corner, street or neighborhood.

Data set: Nora D. Lamontagne and Philippe Langlois, Bureau of Investigation