Thieves take tools of the trade

Thieves take tools of the trade
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published June 25, 2003


A sheet metal worker who moved to Burnaby from Alberta three months ago in the hopes of building a better life is feeling horrible after heartless thieves stole his ability to make a living. Bill Robicheau is wondering what to do after his 1986 Ford F-10 pickup truck was torched by vandals and all of his working tools were stolen in the early morning hours of June 5.

"I'm pretty depressed right now," the 38-year-old tradesman told the Burnaby NOW.

While Robicheau admits that life as a sheet metal worker has been pretty tough for the past several years, nothing has prepared him for a life without a vehicle or the tools to make a living.

It all started when Robicheau got home from work at around 4:30 p.m. on one of the hottest days of the year and decided to leave his tools in the cab of his pickup for a few hours while he took a quick nap. He threw a jacket over the tools, locked the truck doors and then promptly fell asleep, forgetting about the tools until the next morning. According to police and fire reports, the stolen truck was discovered burning at around 4 a.m. by two workers at the Chevron refinery. They helped extinguish the fire and called police and city fire crews, but by then it was too late. The truck was beyond repair, and $3,000 worth of tools, plus the pickup's canopy, were missing.

The vehicle, which still had Alberta licence plates, was registered in Robicheau's girlfriend's name and was not insured for fire damage. The stolen tools included a Dewalt suitcase-style tool kit worth $1,500, several drills and all the blades, combination hammer-drill, three 18-volt batteries, a combination radio and battery charger, and about $800 worth of smaller hand tools.

Robicheau had just been laid off from his job with G&F Heating, but he did have a second job lined up. Now he can't accept that second job because he doesn't have a vehicle or tools.

"Let me put it this way," he said dejectedly. "If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't be a tradesman. It's just too hard to find work - especially in sheet metal. I'm a journeyman and can run the jobs, but most companies don't like paying the big bucks."

And when asked if he might look into work in another field, Robicheau replied: "This is what I've done for most of my life. you can't just up and quit and do something else."

While the tools were not properly engraved, each of the larger pieces carried a distinctive mark - an etching of four lines. Anyone with information on the missing tools is asked to call Robicheau at 604-728-8433.