By Canadian Press

Head of Halifax port says cargo scanners wont solve issue of exported stolen vehicles

May 1, 2024 | 12:29 PM

OTTAWA — The head of the Halifax Port Authority says scanning more shipping containers for stolen cars may do little to curb auto theft.

President and CEO Allan Gray made the comments to MPs at the national security committee, which is currently studying an explosion of car theft in Canada.

Politicians including Ontario Premier Doug Ford say installing more screening equipment at ports will help keep stolen cars from leaving the country.

Gray agrees very few shipping containers are scanned before they are exported, but he says it wouldn’t be worth the time or cost to do more.

He says just seeing a car inside a container doesn’t prove that it is stolen, because paperwork can be falsified to identify the car as a legitimate export.

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Gray says there are more effective improvements to be made, including streamlining the security clearance for port workers to keep criminals from getting jobs in Canada’s ports.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2024.

The Canadian Press