THE Ford Government expands the legal definition of a highway to include parking lots in response to a request from provincial police forces who say they are struggling to resolve increasingly complex cases of reckless driving and noisy late-night motor gatherings.

The changes stem from new transportation and safety legislation the provincial government is considering, with a focus on strengthening police powers over car theft and driving offences.

Part of the law will allow police to crack down on driving offenses in car parks used by the public in places like shopping centers or squares, which are considered private and therefore not subject to the same traffic laws. car driving.

Last year, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police passed a motion calling on the government to make this change.

The organization cited an increase in the number of calls in shopping center parking lots where misconduct was not serious enough to warrant a criminal charge, but would have resulted in a traffic ticket if it occurred. was produced on a road.

“There has been a high volume of incidents, high risks and dangerous driving behaviors on private property, including parking lots,” the organization’s motion states. “The facts do not meet the criminal threshold and there are currently no enforcement methods available under the Highway Traffic Act. »

Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish has spoken out from her time as a local councilor on a similar issue in the parking lot of the city’s Westwood Mall, where a group of auto thieves regularly gather.

“Seriously, I’ve been in a war zone, I was in Syria when I was an MP, it’s the same buzzing sound, and it’s smoke and burning tires,” Parrish told Global News when she was advisor for the 2023 region. “It’s just that it’s a very, very unpleasant thing.”

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The government said the proposed legislative change to apply driving laws to private parking lots would help combat street racing and car gatherings that are common in the Greater Toronto Area, especially since the pandemic.

“These changes will help local police respond to and prevent unauthorized events such as car gatherings and street racing, while allowing more time to investigate, collect evidence and hold drivers accountable,” a statement said provincial press.

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The law responds to another request made by police at the same time, namely to allow dangerous driving charges to be laid up to two years after an alleged offence. The proposed change comes after chiefs said increasingly complex investigations simply could not be completed in the current six months.

On Friday, as part of the same series of motoring and public safety announcements, the government confirmed it would increase penalties for those guilty of falsifying the unique registration on vehicles.

The VIN code, which includes information about a vehicle’s make, model, year and place of manufacture and is widely considered a fingerprint for cars, has increasingly become a target for thieves seeking to legitimize a stolen vehicle.

The government now plans, as first reported by Global Newsto introduce a significant penalty for people who knowingly falsify a VIN, a trick used by car thieves to resell stolen vehicles. Penalties could be up to $100,000 with the possibility of license suspension and possible jail time.

“VIN fraud and reckless driving are on the rise in Ontario,” Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said in a statement.

“That’s why our government is taking action to protect unsuspecting shoppers and giving police the powers they need to keep our roads and communities safe. Our tough new legislation will target car thieves and other reckless behavior, particularly in cases causing personal injury or death.

Earlier this week, Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Minister Todd McCarthy – who oversees ServiceOntario, where VINs are registered – said he was confident the fraudsters were being caught.

“We are doing everything we can as a provincial government and through ServiceOntario for those rare instances where reVINing is an issue,” he told Global News.

“Our security measures have been universally helpful in apprehending those responsible when this occurs in connection with a ServiceOntario issue. »

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