Key takeaways:
- Cars are essential to an organization’s programming, says the operations manager.
- The Association for New Canadians had cars used for transporting people to classes and other services damaged in their parking area.
A non-profit group that supports immigrants and refugees adapt to life in Newfoundland and Labrador says a twist has been tossed in their programming after one of their minivans was robbed, and some others were damaged.
Wayne Pierce, senior operations manager of the Association for New Canadians, stated the organization found Monday that one of its black Dodge Grand Caravans was missing from the parking area of its Tiffany Court offices in St. John’s.
After filing a statement with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, they realized some of their other cars had been damaged.
“We saw that we had got some damage on the flanks of the cars, and the insides of the vehicles had been gone through,” Pierce informed CBC News on Wednesday. Some vehicles had shattered windows, he said. The group’s 24-seat bus was also missing from its set parking area and was later found vandalized on Torbay Road.
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Pierce said the damage and loss are destroying the group, which depends on the cars to provide programming.
“On any provided day, we’ll move 400-plus students for our [English as a Second Language] program.… We do keep our settlement and resettlement services through these cars,” he said.
“It’s a lot of quick-stepping to receive contingencies in place. Even if you can’t receive the supplies.”
Pierce said the association is working on the way to make sure transportation to its services can persist. Still, the damage will affect more ways than one — as it attempts to bring things back to normal while dealing with auto body shops, insurance agencies, and police to figure out what occurred.
Source – cbc.ca
