With temperatures warming throughout the GTA, something else is heating up – the rate of burglaries and thefts.
According to the insurance company Aviva Canada, burglaries tend to spike in the summer months, and as the summer wears on, the more prevalent they become. For instance, the frequency increases 13 percent in June, 20 percent in July and 31 percent in August.
“The key factor is more opportunity,” said Wayne Ross, president of national property claims at Aviva. “As residents are out of their homes more frequently and for longer periods of time in the summer months, there is more opportunity for burglaries to occur.”
The study also detailed in what provinces summer burglaries were most frequent, finding that the incidence of burglaries was most common in Quebec – 99 percent above the national average. In Ontario, meanwhile, thefts are 20 percent below the average.
Among the precautions Aviva Canada suggests taking include using a security device and installing deadbolts on all doors.
Storage units can be one of the safest places for homeowners to store their valuables. Jiffy Self Storage employs several theft deterrent strategies, including digital video recorders and computer controlled access to the units.