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Why are some cars sold in the UK harder to steal than their Canadian counterparts?
When Anuj Sethi's Range Rover was stolen in his driveway, police told him it was one of six cars stolen that same night in his Oakville, Ont., neighborhood.
He was surprised to learn that his car might have been harder for thieves to steal if he had bought it in the UK.
“This is not true at all,” Sethi said. “Car manufacturers should have the same safety features around the world.”
CBC Market Reviewed A recent report from the Équité Association, an insurance industry non-profit organization, listed the top 10 most stolen vehicles in Canada. Of these ten cars, six were built for the roads of Canada and the United Kingdom.
When Marketplace compared the features of cars sold in the United Kingdom with those sold in Canada, it found that these six models had additional safety features in the United Kingdom that were not offered on Canadian versions of the same vehicle, which could make them more difficult to steal. .
Despite having a much smaller population than the UK, Canada currently has a much higher rate of car theft, with 286.46 cars stolen per 100,000 people, compared to just 155.96 per 100,000 people in the United Kingdom, according to 2017 2023 figures from Statistics Canada and. UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
Car theft peaked in the UK in 1992 with 620,000 thefts, but in 2016, there were only 91,000 thefts, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
Brian Gast, who heads up car theft investigations for the Canadian insurance industry, believes in part that the more than 85 per cent drop in theft rates in the UK during that period can be attributed to car manufacturers They had to comply with what he described as “a little more security.” rigor”. standards in the world.
While car theft rates have risen again in the UK, Gast says cars sold in Canada are still very easy to steal and car manufacturers need to do more to prevent car theft in the first place. .
“When you can steal a vehicle in less than 30 seconds, there are problems.” Read more.
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he looks MarketThe full investigation of “Stolen in Seconds: Why Automakers Aren't Doing More,” Fridays at 8 p.m., 8:30 p.m. in Newfoundland, on CBC-TV and anytime on CBC-TV. YouTube either CBC gem.
Rogers Customers Call Contracts Misleading as TV Set-Top Box Rates Increase by $7 a Month
When Kathy Cooper signed a contract with Rogers Communications four months ago, she said the sales representative told her the monthly price for TV and Internet service was guaranteed for two years.
So, he was surprised to see an increase in his monthly bill after just three months and contacted the telecommunications giant to find out what was happening.
That's when she learned that the TV boxes in her home had gone up to $7 each, with one exception that would still be included in her monthly package.
Cooper had six TV decoders because her adult children and grandson lived with her at home.
“They (Rogers) are manipulating people,” Cooper said, sitting in her kitchen in Sydney, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island. “This is not true.”
Speaking by phone with Cooper, a Rogers representative explained that equipment like TV set-top boxes are considered a monthly rental (apart from basic TV service) and the fine print in customer contracts indicates that rental rates can change.
“Basically, they're allowed to do it,” Cooper said. “I'm frustrated.”
A technology and public policy expert says the way Rogers' contract is presented seems misleading to customers.
“It's clearly a bait and switch,” said Vas Bednar, executive director of the master's program in public policy in the digital society at McMaster University.
“You sign up, then you close your account, and suddenly you're out of luck.”
Bednar sees the price increase as a “lazy” move on Rogers' part – to extract more money from customers after its merger last year with Shaw Communications.
Rogers spokesman Zach Carrero told Go Public that no one was available for an interview.
Carrero did not explain why some customers' TV boxes are several years old. He said the company will spend $4 billion on capital investments this year, including upgrading equipment and software for hundreds of thousands of TV customers. Read more.
The report notes that most Canadians have a health care provider, but can wait weeks to see them.
According to a new report, the majority of Canadian adults, 83 per cent, say they have access to a family doctor or regular nurse. But those with a dedicated provider can face long wait times, the report's author says.
“One thing that surprised me was the number of people who said they had access to a regular health care provider,” said Kathleen Morris, vice-president of research and analysis at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) in Toronto.
But even those who have a family doctor may have trouble reaching them without having to wait weeks, Morris says.
“This may be because people have more chronic illnesses and it takes them longer to visit.”
Thursday's CIHI report takes the pulse of the shared priorities agreed by federal, provincial and territorial governments in 2023. These include:
- Increase the supply of the healthcare workforce and reduce waiting times for surgeries, which have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
- – Improve access to mental health and substance abuse services.
- Modernize health information systems and digital tools to securely share electronic health information.
In 2023, 5.4 million (17%) Canadians aged 18 and older did not have access to a regular health care provider, such as a family doctor, general practitioner, medical specialist or nurse practitioner, according to the report.
Family physicians and nurse practitioners Morris said these organizations are considered the “backbone” in managing health care services.
Morris said provinces have different models to ensure people receive front-line care, such as group care for those newly diagnosed with diabetes, where a doctor works with a nurse and a dietitian to control people's blood sugar levels. a person Read more.
What is happening?
Landlords' newest tactic in public battles with tenants: suing them for defamation
Tenants in three cities who have gone public with their disputes are facing lawsuits.
Canada is about to lose an irreplaceable “treasure” of mushrooms
15,000 live strains used to research emerging diseases and biodiversity.
NS has selected a national grocery giant for its $6 million buy local program. The reaction has been mixed.
Producers and retailers are reviewing the pros and cons of the program to encourage local shopping.
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