A large stash of stolen property in the R.M. of Stuartburn has been turned into a unique opportunity to support local crime prevention.
Reeve Michelle Gawronsky says they hosted what she calls a “poetic justice” garage sale as part of the community-wide event in Vita.
“For five bucks, you could pick up a box, a bin, or a suitcase,” she said. “You could weigh it, shake it, but not open it. Whatever you got was yours.”
Six truckloads of items left unclaimed
The items were discovered last October when Gawronsky came across a massive collection of stolen goods — including electronics, tools, home supplies, and more — at two locations in the area.
“There was a huge pile, about six truckloads of stolen property,” she said. “We contacted the RCMP, and they came down, took photos, catalogued everything, and escorted us so we could store the items in a secure location.”
Only one item, a trailer stolen in 2017, was ever claimed. After months of trying to find rightful owners, and with the RCMP’s approval, the municipality decided to sell the remaining items.
“Some of the boxes had groceries, others had arts and crafts, makeup, paint, clothing — you name it, it was in there,” Gawronsky said. One person scored a whole bin of new extension cords. “We even had someone buy 20 bins. It was wild.”
All funds go to Citizens on Patrol Program
The $5 mystery bins quickly sold out, and the community raised $412. That money is now being used to support the local Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP), which Gawronsky says is just getting re-established.
“We had a public meeting about a year ago and had over 130 people attend,” she said. While the official program is still awaiting final coordination with RCMP, Gawronsky says there are already about five volunteers actively observing and reporting suspicious activity in the community.
“The RCMP has been fantastic,” she said. “Whenever we need them, they’re here — and whenever they need info, we’re here for them. It’s working.”
Gawronsky adds that donations are still welcome to help keep the COPP initiative going, especially to cover fuel costs. “Volunteers are donating their time. We want to make sure they don’t have to pay out of pocket to keep our community safe.”
A cleaner community and stronger vigilance
Aside from helping fund local crime prevention, Gawronsky says removing the massive collection of stolen goods has helped clean up the area.
“When you’re looking at what people would drive by and think was garbage, it turns out there were a lot of treasures,” she said. “It was an eyesore that became an asset.”
Anyone interested in joining the Citizens on Patrol Program can contact the R.M. of Stuartburn office or speak directly with Gawronsky. Applications are vetted through the RCMP before new volunteers are approved.
“This was truly a community effort,” Gawronsky said. “We turned a bad situation into something good.”
-With files from Adi Loewen.