The Guelph Police Service is investigating a series of crimes that took place over the past week, including a theft of tools worth more than $5,000 from a work van, the arrest of a man from Montreal in connection with an Aeroplan fraud case, the theft of a Lexus SUV from a driveway in the city’s south end, and an impaired driving arrest on Whitelaw Road.
The tool theft happened overnight on Friday, when someone broke into a work van parked at an employee’s house near Waverley Drive and Windsor Street. Police say the owner of a local business reported that various power tools and equipment were stolen. Each of the stolen tools had the letters BYP scratched into them. Constable Todd Van Iersel is handling the investigation and can be reached at 519-824-1212, ext. 7557, or [email protected] with any tips.
In a separate fraud case, police arrested a 23-year-old Montreal man for using a Guelph resident’s compromised Aeroplan account to book several flights within Canada. The victim lost nearly $2,100 in points. The victim fell prey to a scam in January 2025 that compromised his cellphone. Police say he changed his passwords and increased his security, but forgot to update the email linked to his Aeroplan account, which the accused then used to book the flights. The accused was arrested in Quebec and now faces a charge of fraud under $5,000. He is scheduled to appear in a Guelph court on October 13, 2026.
Also over the weekend, a black 2021 Lexus RX350 was stolen from a driveway near Farley Drive and Pine Ridge Drive. The owner reported the theft just after noon on Saturday, and it is believed the vehicle was taken between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Police say children’s car seats that were inside the SUV were later found abandoned in front of a home in Puslinch. The same constable investigating the tool theft is also handling this case. According to police data, Toyota and Lexus vehicles are the top targets for theft in Guelph, with 38 Toyota or Lexus models reported stolen in 2025 out of 162 vehicle thefts reported in the city that year. The Équité Association says Ontario saw a 22 per cent decrease in auto thefts year-over-year, but recovery rates remain low at 51 per cent, with nearly half of stolen vehicles likely exported or dismantled.
On the traffic side, a 54-year-old Guelph man was arrested for impaired driving after a member of the police traffic unit clocked his Ford Bronco going 67 km/h in a 40 km/h zone on Whitelaw Road around 6:45 p.m. The driver failed a roadside breath test and was taken to the police station, where further tests confirmed he had more than the legal amount of alcohol in his system. He faces impaired driving and speeding charges, and his licence was suspended for 90 days while his vehicle was impounded for seven days. He is due in court on September 4.
The Guelph Police Service says it received 708 calls for service in the 72 hours covered by its latest media release. Anyone with information about any of these incidents is asked to contact police at 519-824-1212.
