SPRING BAY—Last week, Alan Gallant received a most unsettling Facebook message from his Spring Bay neighbour. Mr. Gallant lives in Nova Scotia but, until recently, maintained a trailer residence he used occasionally in Spring Bay village.
Diane Zimmerman sent Mr. Gallant a message, asking where his office trailer had gone. The trailer had been parked on Mr. Gallant’s lot directly across the road from her store (the original home of Shelagh’s Interiors) in Spring Bay. Incredulous, Mr. Gallant called his next door neighbour in Spring Bay who confirmed that yes, his 10 ft. by 32 ft. trailer-turned-cottage was indeed gone, and the neighbour had even met the people who “bought” it. The trouble is, Mr. Gallant didn’t sell his summer place to anyone. It wasn’t even on the market.
Mr. Gallant explained to this reporter that the former office trailer had been turned into quite a comfortable living area with a kitchen, sleeping quarters and a living room with nine-and-a-half foot ceilings. Manitoulin is a long way from Nova Scotia and so the Gallants didn’t make it here often, but tried to open their Island place up at least once a year.
The trailer is, as was aforementioned, big and Mr. Gallant is shocked and surprised that not only was it stolen in broad daylight with the accused “making no bones about who they were or where they lived,” he is also disturbed that a simple half-ton truck was able to tow it away.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) was notified and the trailer was soon located in Evansville. A man and a woman have been arrested and charged with theft over $5,000, Mr. Gallant reported, and will make their first appearance in court in June.
The police reported that the trailer was found with the tongue removed, the tires badly damaged, making it immovable, and the fridge and stove missing. “I think the intent was to sell it off piece by piece,” he said.
“I could move it, but it would be so prohibitive in cost,” he said.
So disenchanted was Mr. Gallant with what had happened he promptly called real estate broker Ron Bedard and put his Spring Bay lot on the market.
“That’s it for Manitoulin?” this reporter asked.
“Oh yeah, bye bye,” Mr. Gallant responded.
