City demands immobilizers on high-risk cars

TORONTO (Reuters) - Drivers in Winnipeg, Manitoba, one of Canada's worst cities for auto thefts, will have to install electronic immobilizers on new or "high-risk" cars in order to qualify for auto insurance, the province said on Wednesday.

"We have all seen the devastation that gets caused by reckless auto thieves who have a complete disregard for public safety," Manitoba Attorney General Dave Chomiak said in a statement announcing the plan to stymie joy-riders, a first for

Canada.

Chomiak said cars are stolen twice as often in Winnipeg as in other Manitoba cities, while a 2005 report from Statistics Canada said the city had a higher per-capita car theft rate than larger cities like Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.

The province, where cars are insured through Manitoba Public Insurance, will fork over C$15 million ($14 million) so that owners without immobilizers can have them installed.

Most "high-risk" vehicles will include those on the top of the province's most-stolen list.