A small charity in Montreal has had to cancel outings for seniors after the catalytic converter was stolen from its bus -- for the second time.
The bus for the New Hope Senior Citizens' Centre takes seniors on day trips, a lifeline for Montrealers who have trouble getting out of their homes.
The next outing was supposed to be to a sugar shack, but those plans have come to a halt.
"My volunteer came in, picked up the bus, turned it on. It sounds like a monster truck," said Gerry Lafferty, executive director of the non-profit community organization in Notre-Dame-de-Grace.
A vital part of the exhaust system, catalytic converters contain precious metals like rhodium, palladium and platinum. Their value has gone up on the black market across Canada and can outshine gold, fetching up to $2,000 an ounce.
Catalytic converter theft is so common, it isn't even the first time this has happened to New Hope -- it's the second time in less than a year. This time, it was stolen while the bus was parked behind the Montreal West Town Hall.
"The catalytic converter was stolen again, and now the way things are with transportation and backorder, the parts are on backorder," said Lafferty.
After the first theft, a nearby garage welded on a new catalytic converter. That wasn't enough to stop thieves – who know which vehicles to target- so a mechanic is planning on building a cage this time around.
"You can use iron rods or sheet metal," said mechanic Marc Boulet. "You cover it, so it takes them longer to cut. They look up and say, 'It takes too long,'"
The repair job will cost about $3,000.
Luckily, an auto parts company heard about the story and offered to help.
They want to donate a catalytic converter," said Lafferty. "There are many, many more good people out there (than bad)."
The bus will be back on the road in two weeks if all goes well.
