After catalytic converter stolen for second time, RCMP suggests charity buy better cameras

Caroline Donelle was leaving for work on Wednesday morning when she got a call telling her Moncton Headstart's bus had been targeted by thieves for the second time in just over a year.

"Frustration is putting it mildly," the executive director of the charity said upon hearing their bus, used to pick up children and families enrolled in early intervention programs, was out of commission.

It was Dec. 2021 when catalytic converters from both Moncton Headstart buses were stolen the first time.

After that, Donelle said they started parking the buses in front of the building, adjacent to the very busy intersection of Mountain Road and Mapleton Road, "so they were quite clear and obvious."

But the security camera footage shows a man in a hoodie slide under the vehicle at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, and less than a minute later, slide back out and disappear.

"That's how quick it was," Donelle said. "So this is a guy, this thief — who has done this many, many times before — he came equipped with the right tools, slid under the bus, cut the catalytic converter out and disappeared into the night."

Why is this continually happening?

In November 2022, Public Safety Minister Kris Austin introduced amendments to the Salvage Dealers Licensing Act intended to make it harder to sell stolen catalytic converters and other commonly stolen goods such as copper, lead flashing and copper wire. 

The amendments would double the fines for salvage dealers who don't comply and prohibit salvage dealers from paying cash for catalytic converters or other high-theft items. 

• 'Disheartening' theft of catalytic converters hits Fredericton non-profit
• Calls mount for better enforcement at scrap yards to stem thefts of catalytic converters

Austin said in a statement he expects the new rules "will come into force in the coming weeks."

"Department of Justice and Public Safety officials are inspecting salvage dealers regularly," he wrote. "It's a priority for government and police, and I know every police force is doing all it can to investigate every case."

CBC News contacted the RCMP to ask about catalytic converters and what is being done to prevent and investigate these thefts, but no one has responded.

Donelle said when she reported the latest theft, police suggested that she get better security cameras that would allow RCMP to identify the face of the thief. She isn't sure that is a solution to the problem.

"You know, most thieves make sure their faces aren't shown."

Insurance industry trying to prevent thefts

Donelle has asked herself, "Why is this continually happening," and has concluded that somebody is clearly still buying the stolen parts.

"Otherwise what motivation would the guy have to be casing the neighbourhood at 3:30 in the morning with his backpack full of tools?"

Donelle is now considering other deterrents to prevent thieves from targeting their buses again.

Someone suggested the charity get new catalytic converters etched with "property of Moncton Headstart" in hopes that it would give a would-be thief — or the person buying the stolen part — pause, but Donelle admits that is probably "magical thinking."

A spokesperson for Équité Association, which works alongside the Insurance Bureau of Canada with the goal of preventing theft, says the "significant surge" in catalytic converter thefts has come as the metals inside have increased in price.

"The value of palladium, rhodium and platinum, all contained in a catalytic converter, continues to surpass the value of gold," according to Bryan Gast.

Équité Association points to a report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau in the United States, which found salvage dealers pay anywhere from $50 to $250 for the part.

The association has partnered with police in Montreal to pilot a program that engraves unique identification numbers on catalytic converters, making the part easily identifiable through a database.

In British Columbia scrap metal dealers are required to report the purchase of all catalytic converters, including information about the the seller, to police.

Local garage offers help

Donelle is frustrated to have her bus off the road for 10 to 12 days, and said Moncton Headstart doesn't have money for added security, a garage or fencing to lock up its buses.

She says replacing a catalytic converter on a bus like theirs would normally cost between $2,500 and $3,000, but JP's Garage in Dieppe has offered to donate the labour, which brings the price tag down to about $1,000.

"We're a charitable organization so I'm always scrambling to find money to repair stuff," she said.

Most upsetting to Donelle is the fact that children and families will be hurt with no transportation to the early intervention programs offered at Moncton Headstart every day.

"We pick up kids every morning at their home," she said. "We give them a hearty, healthy breakfast. They get a hearty, healthy lunch … those are the two most important meals that they're going to get all day long. So that is a huge concern to me, that we can't bring those kids in."