The Manitoba government says new legislation aimed at protecting Manitobans from the theft of scrap metal, particularly catalytic converters, is now in place.
Manitoba Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen made the announcement at a news conference Monday.
Goertzen said Bill 9, also known as the Scrap Law and the corresponding Scrap Regulation, outlines a framework that regulates the sale and purchase of scrap in Manitoba.
“It’s designed to prevent the theft of catalytic converters and other metals that are obtained illegally and then sold,” Goertzen said.
Under the new framework, dealers must record details of their scrap metal transactions, keep transaction records for two years and provide them to a peace officer on request. Cash transactions are not allowed for transactions over $50.
Transactions involving metal containers normally recycled to avoid waste, such as paint cans and ingots, are exempt from the record requirement.
Deals on restricted items, such as catalytic converters, or items vulnerable to theft and resale, such as plaques and monuments, have stricter rules.
Manitoba Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen speaks at a July 18 press conference.
In addition, all transactions involving restricted items must also include a photograph that provides sufficient detail to identify the item, while full records must be turned over to the scrap metal dealer’s local law enforcement agency within seven days.
Cash transactions are also not allowed for restricted items.
“This legislation and regulations are not intended to be a cure-all. This will not completely stop the theft of catalytic converters or other precious metals, but it is intended to deter those who cause these thefts in our community,” Goertzen said.
NEW WAS A “SIGNIFICANT RESOURCE”: WPS
Winnipeg Police Sergeant Josh Evaski said the new bill would give law enforcement a significant resource to combat the widespread problem.
“The requirement to keep records and give law enforcement access to those records will greatly assist the investigation in identifying suspects arrested,” he said.
The news comes after a months-long investigation by the WPS targeting catalytic converter thefts in the province. That led to a search of a business on Springfield Road and the arrests of three Manitobans last month.
READ MORE: Three charged in months-long investigation into catalytic converter thefts in Winnipeg: WPS
Since then, Ewaski said police have seen a 95 percent decrease in catalytic converter theft reports.
“The reports are currently in the single digits for the last few weeks. Even though those numbers are low, we know these thefts still happen,” he said, recalling a recent traffic stop that led to the discovery of five catalytic converters, saws, chainsaws and methamphetamine.
IN REACTION PILOT PROJECT FOR CATALYTIC CONVERTER
Goertzen said there are other efforts to curb these thefts, including pilots by Winnipeg Crime Stoppers and Steinbach RCMP to engrave vehicle identification numbers on catalytic converters — an initiative that has been piloted in other jurisdictions.
“We want to see what the impact and effect is here in Manitoba,” he explained, noting that he’s heard evidence that it’s been effective in some areas but not others.
Manitoba RCMP Supt. Jim Mirza is the acting criminal operations officer. He said catalytic converter theft is not limited to Winnipeg, noting that his officers have seen a “dramatic increase” in thefts of the devices in rural communities.
“Where we used to see only a few dozen at a time, now we’ve seen them go up to almost a few hundred,” he said.
Mirza believes the pilot project underway through the Steinbach RCMP can not only help catch the perpetrators, but also prevent the crime from being committed.
“Now that it is known that items can be traced and possession of stolen goods can be proven,” he said.
As part of the pilot project, Winnipeg Crime Stoppers chairman Paul Johnson said 32 auto service centers are engraving catalytic converters for free during their regular service appointments with highly visual paint. Additionally, they have created window stickers to try and deter would-be thieves.
“The idea is these thieves will hopefully see these stickers along with the paint and leave the vehicle alone,” he said.
In a pilot project through Manitoba Crime Stoppers, 32 auto service centers engrave catalytic converters for free during regular service appointments with paint that is highly visible.
Goertzen said he believes car manufacturers also have a role in preventing these thefts.
“We may very well see, and I think we’re already seeing, some of the manufacturers start to put anti-theft devices for catalytic converters in their production vehicles and that’s ultimately probably a better and long-term solution, but we have to have something in the short term as well,” he said.
MPI SEES DEVELOPMENT IN CATALYTIC CONVERTER CLAIMS
Manitoba Public Insurance president Eric Herreblin said there were 2,247 catalytic converter theft claims registered last fiscal year, with 90 per cent of them coming from Winnipeg.
To handle the jump, MPI previously changed the depreciation or improvement schedule for the converters, noting that they don’t have to be the same as other exhaust system components.
Currently, owners of vehicles whose catalytic converters are stolen pay their normal deductible on their claim, but claimants will save an average of more than $100 in fees thanks to the revised schedule.
The corporation is also investigating cages, shields and alarms to protect the converters, but said they are currently monitoring the pilot project.
“We want to see how this plays out and if it’s successful,” Hereblin said.
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