It has been around half a year since Amy Wang and her spouse managed to reopen their Scarborough convenience store, where they used to labor for long hours each day. The store fell victim to an unusual smash-and-grab incident involving an excavator that targeted the ATM at the neighboring Scotiabank branch, leading to significant damage to their business, Rouge Convenience.
The destructive act left Wang devastated as their hard-earned source of livelihood was reduced to rubble overnight. Although the thieves failed to abscond with any money, the plaza suffered over $600,000 in damages. This type of theft, involving excavators breaking into banks, has been occurring across the Greater Toronto Area, with at least six incidents reported in the past year.
In a string of similar events, thieves used excavators to breach bank branches, including a case in Brampton where an ATM was stolen in June. Another incident in September involved an ATM theft from a BMO branch in Whitby using an excavator. More recently, suspects allegedly utilized an excavator to break into a CIBC branch in Etobicoke.
Law enforcement authorities have not pressed charges in any of these cases so far. According to Const. Tyler Bell-Morena of Peel Region police, a recurrent network of suspects is typically behind these crimes, with an increasing trend of using heavy machinery like excavators to target storefronts, particularly small jewelry stores.
While the bank branch has resumed operations, Wang’s store is still undergoing reconstruction. Wang’s husband had to seek temporary employment after their family business was disrupted by the incident. Despite aiming to reopen in time for Christmas, Wang remains anxious about potential future excavator-related incidents and regularly checks security cameras to safeguard her store.
Tim Allan, a heavy equipment program instructor at Centennial College, highlighted the relative ease of operating excavators once started, attributing the thefts to the availability of master keys accessible online. Allan emphasized the challenges of escaping with stolen excavators due to their limited speed capabilities.
He suggested that construction companies could enhance security measures on their machinery to deter thefts, but logistical challenges may hinder widespread adoption of such measures. Several companies whose equipment was involved in recent thefts were contacted for comment but did not respond by the deadline.
The Canadian Bankers Association condemned these criminal acts, emphasizing the detrimental impact on community service and customer access. They assured ongoing collaboration with law enforcement to uphold operational safety and security in the banking sector.