Ford government wants to give police the authority to seize electronic devices in effort to combat auto theft

W5 correspondent Jon Woodward holds a generic car key fob discovered in one of the stolen vehicles.

The Ontario government says it plans to introduce new legislation that would give police the authority to search for and seize electronic devices intended to be used in the theft of vehicles.

“For far too long, organized criminals have been wreaking havoc across our province, targeting innocent vehicle owners and (committing) violent carjackings and home invasions. Every family in this province deserves a peace of mind knowing their homes and their vehicles are safe,” Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said during a Tuesday morning news conference outside a Brampton police station.

Sarkaria said that the new legislation would amend the Highway Traffic Act to allow authorities the right to search for and seize FOB programming devices and scanners as well as smartphones with applications that can be used to steal a car.

The legislation would provide an exemption for the lawful use of these devices by auto dealers, repair services, and roadside assistance personnel.

“Let me be clear, anyone using these devices to steal a vehicle will face the full consequences of their actions,” Sarkaria said.

The Ford government has indicated that vehicle theft throughout Ontario decreased by 16 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year following a series of proposed changes.

Sarkaria, however, said that “there’s always more we can do to protect vehicle owners.”

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To that end, he said that the Ford government will also make its auto theft prosecution response team permanent, with a focus on tackling crime in “hot spots” like Toronto, Ottawa, London, Brampton, Newmarket, Durham, and Windsor.

Since being founded in April 2024, this team has taken on more than 80 prosecutions and provided legal advice on over 20 major investigations across the province in connection to 1,700-plus stolen or targeted vehicles in an effort to “dismantle the organized crime networks and hold offenders accountable,” Sarkaria said.

“We will use every tool at our disposal to stop the crime once and for all,” he said.

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Zee Hamid, the province’s associate solicitor general for auto theft and bail reform, said auto theft, is a “deeply violating act,” one whose impacts are “far greater than financial loss.”

“Auto theft attack safety and security and takes a drastic toll on emotional well being.” Hamid said.

Peel Regional Police (PRP) Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich also spoke at Tuesday’s press conference and said his force welcomes the province’s proposed legislation “to help keep keyless entry devices out of the hands of criminals and further our fight against organized auto theft.”

Peel has been called the “auto theft capital of Canada” with the most cars stolen in the country per capita in 2023.

Milinovich said in 2024 the number of stolen cars in the region dropped by 14 per cent and in the first quarter of 2025 it has dropped by 45 per cent, which amounts to $60 million worth of vehicles that weren’t stolen in the first three months of this year.

“It is another step forward in supporting our community and our service in the critical work that they do every day to dismantle organized crime and hold offenders accountable,” he said.

With files from CTV News Toronto’s Janice Golding