Arrival of spring brings spike in stolen catalytic converters
Posted Apr 22, 2021 7:02 pm.
CALGARY (CityNews) — Spring has brought on a spike in thefts from Canadian cars, but thieves aren’t looking for anything in the car, it’s the catalytic converters under the car they’re after — a crime that can be pulled off in minutes.
“They’re hitting a block at a time, somebody in a pickup truck, somebody with a jack and a guy with a chop saw,” said Ken Sorenson, the executive director at Alberta Automotive Recyclers and Dismantlers Association.
According to Calgary police, there were approximately 300 reported thefts in 2020, up from 205 in 2019.
In 2021, police now estimate an average of 6 catalytic converters are stolen every day. And that’s just one city.
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The reason they’re so valuable is the precious metals in them.
“Catalytic converters are made up of pallidium, radium, and platinum. Palladium being the most expensive component,” said Sorenson. “With a shortage of palladium over the years, and specifically in the past year, the price of palladium has surpassed the price of gold.”
And higher environmental standards mean they have more of those metals to meet emission controls.
“A Toyota Prius for example might have been a $25 catalytic converter several years ago now it can be minimum $450 to $600,” he said.
But they wouldn’t be worth anything without a market, and there is huge demand.
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Just one look at search results on Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, as well as auto shops, will show those willing to look the other way and purchase the stolen items.
“Alberta has made changes in who can buy catalytic converters, but you go steal a bunch of catalytic converters in Alberta, put them in a truck and take them somewhere else and sell them.”
And even with other provinces having stronger measures in place, enforcement continues to lag behind motivated thieves.
