Thieves make off with catalytic converter from NDG charity’s bus — again


“There are some people in our society who are very desperate. I hope that — whoever did this — it was to feed their children or something like that.”

Article content

For the second time in less than a year, a bus used by a charitable organization based in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce was recently stripped of its catalytic converter and the theft has put a pause on trips intended to get seniors out of isolation.

advertisement 2

Article content

The bus belongs to the New Hope Senior Citizens’ Centre, a grassroots non-profit community organization whose mandate is to alleviate senior isolation.

The 20-seat vehicle is normally loaned to groups on a weekly basis and driven by volunteers, who take seniors on day trips. Thanks to the thief, the bus is out of commission again because, following the most recent theft, it can’t go anywhere for a while.

When Gerry Lafferty, executive director of New Hope, inquired about getting a replacement this week, a mechanic told him the catalytic converter is on back order, as parts are required to install it.

Lafferty said the center learned of the most recent theft last week when one of its drivers got inside the bus, turned the ignition and got a surprise.

advertisement 3

Article content

“It sounded like a tank,” Lafferty said, adding the driver had to cancel a trip to a cabane à sucre.

The converters are highly prized by thieves because of the relative ease with which they can be removed from cars and trucks and the value of precious metals like palladium and platinum that are used in their manufacture. Last year, the Montreal police and other police forces near the city said reports of such thefts have skyrocketed.

“It’s mean,” Lafferty said. “I know people are going through desperate times right now. The price of everything is going up and people are having a hard time. But to steal from an organization that has very little is just mean.

“It’s very clear (on the outside of the bus) that we are a charitable organization.”

advertisement 4

Article content

Lafferty said a mechanic told him this week that a stolen catalytic converter can fetch $700 on the black market.

The bus is regularly parked behind Montreal West’s city hall and someone stole another catalytic converter from the vehicle while it was parked there in September. The organization did not make a claim on its insurance as the repairs were $3,000 and they would have been hit with a $2,000 deductible.

The mechanic who did the work in September recommended having the converter welded onto the frame of the bus.

“Apparently, that is supposed to be a deterrent. But it wasn’t,” Lafferty said. He anticipates the organization will have to shell out a similar amount this time around.

“Three thousand dollars is going to hurt us. It’s quite a bit of money,” he said, comparing the amount to what the organization raises at a small fundraising event. “It just goes to show there are some people in our society who are very desperate. I hope that — whoever did this — it was to feed their children or something like that.”

advertisement 5

Article content

Gerry Lafferty, executive director of the New Hope Senior Citizens' Centre, says several day trips for seniors will have to be canceled as the bus is repaired.
Gerry Lafferty, executive director of the New Hope Senior Citizens’ Centre, says several day trips for seniors will have to be canceled as the bus is repaired. Photo by Pierre Obendrauf /Montreal Gazette

He wants the thief to know that what they did has “a ripple effect” that goes beyond the monetary loss. Several day trips for seniors will be canceled because of the delay to get the bus repaired.

“A lot of these seniors are so isolated, especially within the Anglophone community, because their children have moved out of province and these are their only activities — a bus trip for a day. They are looking forward to it and they are going to have to wait once again,” Lafferty said.

When Lafferty filed a complaint with the Montreal police, he was informed that, because the theft could have taken place any time within a five-day period, it was pointless to attempt to see if the culprit was captured on security cameras at Montreal West’s city hall.

advertisement 6

Article content

“The cops also told me that this is happening an awful lot in Montreal right now,” Lafferty said.

Last summer, Montreal police set up a site in Montreal North inviting drivers to have their catalytic converters registered after noticing the rise in thefts.

On Feb. 2, they seized more than $260,000 while carrying out search warrants in their investigation of the owner of a metal recycling company in St-Léonard who was allegedly buying stolen catalytic converters from a network of thieves. When they issued a release about the investigation in February, the Montreal police said the man would appear in court to be charged at some point that month.

The New Hope Senior Citizens’ Center is a registered charity and donations can be made through its website at newhopendg.com.

[email protected]

advertisement 1

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user follows comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your e-mail settings.


Leave a Comment