In search of a payday, thieves increasingly crawling under Sask. vehicles and cutting out catalytic converters
A Saskatchewan auto repair shop is noticing a troubling trend — more catalytic converters are being stolen out of vehicles.
A catalytic converter, also known as a cat, is a device found under a vehicle that controls emissions exhaust.
Dean Matlock, owner of Minute Muffler, says he gets about 20 calls for cat repairs per week.
“They’re going under with a cordless (saw), stealing them in broad daylight,” Matlock tells CTV News at his shop.
Depending on the converter, the repair cost can range from $500 to $2,000.
Matlock says the precious metals inside the part are making it a hot ticket item for thieves.
“Rhodium, the price on it has really skyrocketed. It’s probably 10 times than it was a year ago,” he says.
THEFTS ON RISE
Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) has seen a drastic spike in claims for catalytic converter thefts.
Last year, it received 34 claims. So far this year, 107 converter theft claims have been filed.
Saskatchewan business, Golden Mobility, has had five catalytic converters stolen in just three months.
Golden Mobility sells equipment such as walkers, scooters and accessible vehicles.
Owner Aaron Andre says last week, two catalytic converters were stolen from accessible busses used by a long-term care home.
“It’s super frustrating,” Andre says, standing by his fence that was cut open during the theft.
Andre has released surveillance footage on social media, that shows someone crawling under a vehicle and leaving with the converter.
UNDERGROUND MARKET EXISTS
Mark Riffel, owner of BN Metals Metal Recycling, says the converters are being sold on the black market since recyclers require ID.
He says sellers post ads on social media, meet up and do the sale in cash.
Riffel says the precious metals then are refined down, likely by another buyer.
Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) says it monitors social media for stolen property.
“At times, the item in question may align with an ongoing investigation where further follow-up is required,” SPS spokesperson Josh Grella told CTV News in an email.
So far this year SPS has had 135 reports of catalytic converter thefts — 56 occurred in June and July.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.