Ontario Liberal MPP Mike Colle calls for tougher measures to protect against gas and dashes after the deaths of two gas station attendants. Colle released figures on Friday that reveal it's a serious problem in Ontario, particularly in urban areas, and he recommends a pre-payment system at gas stations. (Antonella Artuso/Toronto Sun)

TORONTO — The author of proposed legislation which would have required drivers to pay before filling up the tank says thousands of gas-and-dash thefts occur each year in Ontario.

Liberal MPP Mike Colle began compiling statistics on the crime after the death of two gas station attendants in the Toronto-area over the past two years.

“It is not a victimless crime ... the victims are the gas station attendant who risk their lives almost on a regular basis,” Colle said. “We are at the point where one of the most dangerous jobs you can have in Ontario is working at a gas station and in most cases people work for ten bucks an hour.”