Winnipeg victims of vehicle theft hope national summit leads to tougher penalties

Some Winnipeg drivers whose vehicles have been stolen say they hope the federal government imposes tougher penalties for auto theft — an idea discussed this week at a national summit in Ottawa on the issue.

Morgan Lepak said she discovered her 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer had been stolen from her workplace, in a Linden Woods strip mall, on the morning of Feb. 1, after a co-worker noticed her vehicle wasn't in her spot.

"I couldn't believe it," said Lepak, who had arrived at work only about 45 minutes earlier. 

"I came back in to my work. I checked my purse.… My keys are there," and there was no other key in the locked vehicle, she said.

Lepak, whose SUV hasn't been recovered, is now among the thousands of people affected by car theft in Winnipeg annually. While she has a rental car through Manitoba Public Insurance coverage, she had to reschedule appointments and find help to get her kids to school in the first days after the theft.

She also worries about the cost of finding a replacement, given current vehicle prices, if hers isn't recovered.

"It's not fair," Lepak said. "I didn't do anything wrong. I'm just driving my car and somebody decided to steal it."

Police say in Manitoba, auto theft problem is most typically a crime of opportunity.

But in some other provinces, like Quebec and Ontario, authorities say organized crime groups target vehicles, sometimes shipping them abroad and using the proceeds of crime to fund other illegal activities.

Manitoba justice department officials were among those who virtually attended a daylong national auto theft summit held in Ottawa Thursday, said Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.

"We're pushing and asking for them [the federal government] to move in the areas that they have control, whether that be working with manufacturers, working with border services," Wiebe said Thursday afternoon.

"I also hear that they're looking at mandatory minimum sentences. These are all moves that I think will help."

Wiebe said while Manitoba doesn't face the same organized crime issues other provinces do when it comes to vehicle theft, he wants to "ensure that sort of thing doesn't creep into Manitoba."

He said he supports mandatory minimum sentences for serial car thefts, or when organized crime is involved, but not in all cases.