'Disheartening' theft of catalytic converters hits Fredericton non-profit

A non-profit in Fredericton is facing a "devastating" loss after it was targeted for truck-part thefts on Monday night. 

Jobs Unlimited, an organization that provides employment and work experience for adults with intellectual disabilities, had three catalytic converters stolen from vehicles at its York Street Courier location.

"Jobs Unlimited is a not-for-profit organization so yeah, it was hard blow," said Karla Cole, York Street Courier supervisor.

A catalytic converter is part of a vehicle's exhaust system that filters out pollutants before emissions are vented through the exhaust pipe.  Without a catalytic convertor, vehicles are potentially unsafe.

Cole said the three trucks that were targeted at the York Street Courier location were two 2011 Ford Rangers and one 2017 Ford F-150. 

On Monday, Cole said one of her drivers told her one of the Rangers was making a weird noise, and she remembers feeling frustrated it would have to be fixed. On Tuesday, she had another driver inform her of a strange noise in the other Ranger. So Cole put both trucks out of commission and chalked it up to the vehicles being a little older. 

Five minutes later, Cole said another driver came in and said the F-150 was making a similar noise. The driver checked and the catalytic converter was gone. An inspection of the other two trucks found the same issue.

Cole said it's going to cost the non-profit $4,000 to replace each of the catalytic converters and sensors, totalling around $12,000.

She said the money isn't the only issue. She now has three drivers, and the three people with disabilities who accompany them, with no vehicles for deliveries. She said this puts more pressure on the other drivers to do more and it's been a "juggling act" to figure out how to keep the employees busy.

Cole said she's worked at Jobs Unlimited for 20 years and has never heard of this happening before. 

"We do a very good service for the community, we're very pleased with what we do. And we're willing to help anybody," said Cole.

She said it is "disheartening" that someone in the community would steal from them, especially if they know what Jobs Unlimited is all about. 

Cole said the thefts have been reported to police and video surveillance was provided of the suspects from Monday night.

Sonya Gilks, public information officer for the Fredericton Police Force, told CBC News in an emailed statement that she can't speak to the details of the investigation, but said they are investigating the theft of catalytic converters at York Street Courier. 

She said catalytic converters are easily accessible and "sought after for their valuable material content." She said the Fredericton Police Force had 63 reports of catalytic converter thefts from July 1 to Sept. 30, with most being stolen from parking lots, commercial places and car dealerships. 

Gilks said they had 138 reports of theft or attempted theft of catalytic converters in 2021. 

For those concerned about having one stolen, Gilks said a few tips are to park in busy, well-lit areas, engrave the vehicle's VIN or license plate number into the converter so it can be traced, and get the converter welded to the vehicle's frame at a muffler shop or install a sensitive alarm on the vehicle.