On July 25, an employee carried out the daily verification of 63 carts belonging to the tourist resort of Mont Adstock, located near Thetford Mines.
“He observed karts in an unusual place. It put the chip in his ear, ”says Richard Benoit, Managing Director of Mount Adstock.
After the counting, three carts lacked the call. “Immediately, we went to see our surveillance cameras and the camera showed us everything we need to see,” continues Mr. Benoit.
On the images, an individual would have headed for a kart from around 1:30 a.m. He would then have driven the vehicle to a trailer attached to a van, a few meters further. The suspect would then have returned to seek a second, then a third kart.
“In our opinion, there were three individuals. No one was embarrassed in there. It would operate as if they were practically employees, ”reports the director.
A complaint was immediately filed with the Sûreté du Québec. For the moment, no suspect has been met. “The noose is tightening, but there is no arrest at present,” says Audrey-Anne Bilodeau, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec.
30 000 $
According to Richard Benoit, stolen carts were “practically new”. Purchased in 2023, they would be of respective value of $ 9,000 to $ 10,000. The director therefore estimates that he has lost up to $ 30,000 in this flight.
“There is a lot of demand for karts Golf right now, it has a good value. It can be on any resale site, ”said Mr. Benoit.
According to the Sûreté du Québec, certain security measures could have been taken to avoid this flight. “The three karts were not really secure. They were outside a fence, easily accessible, “said the spokesperson Audrey-Anne Bilodeau.
However, the owner believes that he cannot do more to protect his fleet. “We have 63 karts golf. You can’t put it in a safe. Even if we put 12 channels, a well -equipped thief can go with it. ”
According to Richard Benoit, zero risk does not exist. “We are not going to build a garage and pay security guards,” he insists.
The consumer losing
Mount Adstock has already been the victim of theft. In 2021, a vehicle was stolen from the recreational tourism station. The manager says he does not have the room for maneuver necessary to mop up the costs of these flights, if they continue to be recurrent.
“At the end of the line, the station is losing, the customer is a loser. It is he who pays if our operating costs increase. It’s very deplorable, ”says Benoit.
Other companies are victims of this type of flight. In May, 28 golf carts were stolen from the Le Drummond golf club in Saint-Majorique-de-Grantham. According to information from Soleil, Managers of this crime could be linked to the flight of Mount Adstock.
“The police confirmed to us that our request did not fall from the sky. We are not the only ones, ”says Mr. Benoit.
Decreasing
In 2024, 24 flight files karts golf were opened by the Sûreté du Québec. In the first half of 2025, 13 others were added.
This is a decrease compared to the year 2023, where 59 cases have been reported.
“The key is really and quite simply to put means of protection, whether it is to put the carts in a fenced, locked, warehouse and/or means of preventing, discouraging, slowing down or identifying thieves,” recalls Audrey-Anne Bilodeau, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec.