Theft of gas by drilling into van tanks 'absolutely devastating' for Winnipeg daycare

A Winnipeg daycare is out thousands of dollars after someone siphoned gasoline from three of its vans by drilling holes in the tanks, in a crime city police say they're watching for as the price at the pump continues to soar.

Carol Jones said staff at Little People's Place in Windsor Park noticed the tanks were low when they started up the vehicles on Monday morning.

But they didn't realize how bad the damage was until they got to the gas station, after driving kids to eight different schools, said Jones, the daycare's executive director.

"As soon as we started to put the gas in, the gas is running out the bottom of the vans," she said. 

"That was absolutely devastating to see, because we knew something was very wrong."

The theft came as gas prices in Manitoba shattered records for the second time in under a week, and as gas prices across the country continued to spike.

On Monday, the average cost of gas in Manitoba hit 165.1 cents per litre, according to GasBuddy.com data — though CBC News saw some gas stations with prices as high as 189.9 cents per litre.

Experts say the price hikes are driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has led to disruptions of supply from Russia, one of the world's largest oil producers.

'Extremely dangerous'

Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson Const. Dani McKinnon said there have been a few other confirmed reports of gas being stolen by drilling holes in tanks in the city.

While she was unable to provide a specific number of cases police have seen, McKinnon said they're aware similar incidents could continue as gas prices increase.

"[It's] something we're certainly keeping on our radar," she said.

"Obviously, the prices at the pumps [are] record highs right now. The pandemic has left individuals with financial constraints. It is a crime of opportunity. So all of those things put together, I believe, contributes to this crime of opportunity."

McKinnon said much like the catalytic converter thefts that were on the rise last year, it can be difficult to prevent this type of crime.

Parking in a garage or periodically checking on your vehicle may help, though, and having surveillance video could help police track down a culprit if your gas is stolen, she said.

McKinnon also warned that while this method of siphoning gas may be quicker than sucking it out of a tube, anyone caught doing it could face possible criminal charges for theft — and imminent danger.

"This is an extremely dangerous endeavour. If they are using a power tool, there can be sparks which will ignite the fuel, and it's potentially lethal," she said.

Jones said it makes her "absolutely nauseous" to think about what could have happened when staff unknowingly used the damaged vans to drive the kids, who range in age from kindergarten to Grade 6.

"To do something like that to vans that transport children — and it's very obvious that this is a daycare and that these vans are for the children — I can't wrap myself around that next step of what happened [and] why anybody in their minds would think that that was even slightly OK."

The gas that was stolen and the gas staff tried to pump into the vans before realizing they were damaged adds up to around $700, Jones said. 

That's on top of the $750 deductible they'll have to pay for each of the three vehicles to go through insurance for repairs, and the potential cost of adding security measures to the site, "because we can't have this happening again."

In the meantime, Vickar Chevrolet on Regent Avenue has loaned the daycare two vans while they wait for the repairs to be completed. 

"We were absolutely, incredibly excited and extremely grateful," Jones said, adding that it was a major relief given that the loss of the vans could massively impact the daycare. 

"It literally can't exist while our vans are being repaired, and we don't know how soon that can be," Jones said earlier in the day.