It's not very often that I pull the Canadian news bureau approach with GeekDad, but given the interest in the previously reported great Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve heist, I thought it was important to note that there have been several breaks in the case. Also, Canada may just have a new tallest robot statue. The two are not connected (to the best of my knowledge).
As reported last month, the Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve in Quebec was the victim of a large-scale heist, with the equivalent of 7.5 million bottles of liquid gold vanishing from a storage facility. While not enough to endanger the world's pancake consumption, the $30 million worth of stolen syrup did put a dent in the backup supply (intended to ease the world through slow springs when the sap just isn't running) and raised the specter of bootleg product hitting the market.
Development number one: police seized 800 barrels of suspected bootleg maple syrup from a New Brunswick facility. The hot maple syrup was destined for export to the US. If you think the authorities are taking the case lightly, consider the fact that the syrup was returned to Quebec in a convoy of 18 transport trucks, escorted by a squad of Quebec provincial police cruisers.
Development number two: on Friday (October 12), police raided a warehouse near Quebec City, seizing additional suspected stolen syrup.
We still don't know who the masterminds behind the robbery were, and the mother lode of maple syrup is still out there somewhere, but the police are evidently hot on the trail. However, the amateur sleuth in me cannot help but connect a few dots. The trail so far has progressed from Quebec to New Brunswick. Next on the west to east path would be the province of Nova Scotia, home of the infamous buried treasure enigma, Oak Island. I hope the thieves didn't pour it into the Money Pit... All that alleged pirate booty has been tough enough to get at, what with the water and the diabolical traps — just imagine how badly 900,000 gallons or so of sticky syrup would gum things up.
And also, Canada apparently has a new tallest robot statue. I haven't had the chance to see it in person yet (it's a bit of a drive from here), but judging from the pictures (and video) it is pretty cool. Take a look at this 23-foot tall, Optimus Prime-inspired sculpture that's currently gracing Primitive Designs, a store located in Port Hope, about an hour East of Toronto. There's also a smaller Bumblebee-inspired statue on site. According to the Toronto Star, "Optimus" is made of recycled automotive parts, was built in Asia then dismantled and shipped to Port Hope, reassembled using a crane and put on display outside the store. You can see a slew more photos, along with other robot statues the Primitive Designs sells, on its Facebook page. It's due to stay up until December 24. Hopefully the robot is rustproofed —we salt the roads in winter around here.
