Ontario bill aims to stop gas station thefts with pay-before-you-pump rule

Paying for gas before you pump could become mandatory in parts of Ontario under new legislation proposed by a Progressive Conservative backbencher.

The bill aims not only to prevent so-called "gas and dash" thefts but also to reduce the risk of gas station attendants being hurt or killed, says the MPP who tabled the legislation this week. 

"My focus is on saving lives," said Deepak Anand, MPP for Mississauga-Milton. "My focus is on making sure of better use of police resources."

Gas theft has long been a common occurrence, but last year's spike in gas prices brought with it a fresh surge in thefts, according to figures from police and the industry in Ontario. 

The Ontario Convenience Stores Association estimates $3.75 million in losses from fuel thefts at service stations across the province in 2022, triple the amount from 2020.

York Regional Police reported a 66 per cent jump in gas and dash incidents in 2022 over the previous year, while Peel Regional Police said gas thefts rose by 44 per cent. 

Anand says his prime motivation with the bill is safety. He cites the deaths of gas station attendants Jayesh Prajapati in Toronto and Atifeh Rad in Mississauga, both killed in fuel theft incidents little more than a year apart. 

The bill would require pre-payment at gas stations in the Greater Toronto Area, and would empower municipalities elsewhere in the province to adopt the law by a resolution of council. 

"If there are other cities who want to opt in, if they feel there is a problem (with gas thefts) and they want to solve this issue by prepayment, we are giving them the choice," Anand said. 

The mandatory pre-payment rules would be phased in, applying only between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. for the first year, then around the clock. 

If the bill passes, Ontario would become the third province with pay-before-pumping rules. It's been the law in British Columbia since 2008 and in Alberta since 2018.

Alberta saw five deaths in gas-and-dash thefts in a stretch of just three years, triggering the then-NDP government of Rachel Notley to bring in the legislation. 

The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) is urging the Doug Ford government to support Anand's bill.   

"We're very concerned in particular for the resources that police services need to dedicate to [gas thefts], and primarily for the safety of the workers that work in these gas stations," said Joe Couto, the OACP's director of government relations and communications.