Edmonton police reveal winners of $50,000 catalytic converter challenge as thefts skyrocket in city

An Edmonton mother and daughter have won $25,000 for their idea on how to deter people from stealing catalytic converters — a serious, widespread problems for years in Alberta.

Police said the exhaust emission devices that convert toxic pollutants into less harmful gases are often stolen because of the price of precious metals used to make them, such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium.

Being located on the underside of vehicles, they are also easy to steal, and many police agencies say they’ve received reports of thefts happening in broad daylight.

The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) and Edmonton Police Foundation (EPF) launched a catalytic converter challenge in August 2022 to help solve the ongoing issue of catalytic converter thefts.

Tamara Dolinsky and Mavis Shaw’s winning solution is called the Foilemfence.

The pair started working on it June — before the challenge was even launched — after Dolinsky’s catalytic converter was stolen. They’ve been using it ever since.

The device is still waiting on a patent, so they couldn’t show it yet to the public, but here’s how Dolinsky describes what they came up with:

“It’s actually a fence that prevents people from getting under the vehicle so they can’t access the catalytic converter,” she explained.

Dolinsky said her mom came up with the basic idea in just a few hours.

“We were looking for something that would be visible…and something that was a physical deterrent,” Shaw said.

“I just started thinking of things and that’s what we came up with.”

Out of 210 entries from all over the world — six were shortlisted and three winning ideas were ultimately selected — splitting the $50,000 total cash prize donated by the Millennium Insurance Corporation.

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“As soon as we made our announcement, we were overwhelmed with the response we received, as well as the many conversations about the problem and its solutions in our community,” Police chief Dale McFee said.

“If we can actually stop [thefts] from happening, reduce our time that we have to attend these, so we can actually use our resources for others, but also to really help victims alleviate this — it’s quite exciting, actually,” McFee said.

Crime of Opportunity

Edmonton police said catalytic converter thefts are still trending up in Edmonton with a 25 per cent increase in reported thefts from 2021 to 2022.

In the first two weeks of 2023, EPS noted 130 catalytic converters were stolen city-wide — nearly double the three-year average of 74 in the same time frame.

It’s estimated the thefts last year cost Edmontonians nearly $20 million for replacements, repairs and related costs.

“I think everybody needs to realize just what the impact of this and the connections to organized groups this particular type of theft has,” McFee said.

On Jan. 25 police found 700 catalytic converters worth about $1.4 million during a drugs and guns crime bust in the city’s southeast.

“The ongoing problem continues to be the subject of discussion in numerous police agencies and municipalities across the province, nationally and certainly internationally,” McFee said.

Better Legislation Needed

Edmonton police said it’s also in discussions with local auto repair shops about additional measures, like etching VIN numbers on the catalytic converters.

McFee said government needs to further tighten the laws, legislation and bylaws regarding scrap metal recycling and increase the penalties associated with illegal activities.

“The reality is, if it’s just possession of stolen property, in the justice system alone, even if you catch them, it isn’t going to solve that,” McFee said.

Paul Gregory with Criminal Intelligence Service Alberta said there are a lot of different solutions to look at.

“Bylaws is obviously one of them and I’m encouraged to see that some municipalities have taken the initiative to create bylaws and to amend their laws,” Gregory said.

“I think there’s always room for improvement in relation to the legislation and I have been speaking with the Government of Alberta.