The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, Aug. 12, edition that auto thefts have decreased nationwide, with reported thefts in the first half of 2026 down 10 per cent from the same period last year, according to a new report from Equite Association. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe reports that Alberta saw the most significant decline, with a 15.1-per-cent drop in thefts compared with the first half of 2025. A report released Tuesday indicated that auto theft in Canada is moving toward "pre-crisis levels" from before 2021, when thefts surged. Equite Association's Bryan Gast noted that the crisis stemmed from a shortage of new vehicles due to the pandemic, leading organized crime to increase auto thefts to fulfill global demand. Mr. Gast said the drop in auto thefts is encouraging but luxury vehicles are still being stolen and the profits are still used to fund organized crime. "Stakeholders have to continue doing what we're doing because if we take our foot off the gas, criminals will see this is a very high reward, low-risk [crime]," Mr. Gast said. While the first half of 2025 saw 23,093 vehicles reported stolen, just 20,759 were reported stolen over the first six months of this year.