SCRAP STARS
The auto recycling industry is finally getting some of the star power it deserves as YouTube-based “picking” show “Totaled Treasure” released its second episode in late-December. Styled in a similar vein to shows like “Canadian Pickers” and “Storage Wars”, “Totaled Treasure” follows Vince Edivan and Aaron Stone as they travel across America visiting auto recycling facilities to dig through the abandoned vehicles in search of valuable, interesting, or just plain strange artifacts.
Not only do the pair seek to entertain, however, but also spread awareness about what is an often overlooked but nevertheless vital aspect to the lifecycle of a vehicle.The introduction of the show provides a brief overview of the history of auto recycling with much of the messaging of the show reinforcing the idea that what is abandoned is not necessarily junk.
NEW YEAR, NEW RULES
Video footage captured by a motorist shows police stopping a driver speeding the wrong way down Highway 401 near Belleville, Ontario on January 6. Police received multiple calls about the red vehicle traveling against traffic on the busy highway, and eventually brought it to a halt by setting up a roadblock. The vehicle—what appears to be a red hatchback or small crossover– was allegedly being driven by a 76-year-old man and was clocked at speeds of over 150 km/h.
SLOW FOR SEA LIONS
We’ve all seen an image or two of a puzzled moose crossing a wooded road—but a sight unfamiliar to many Canadians comes commonplace in Washington state. As the rains come and the rivers rise, there’s a traditional photo op that Northwesterners know well—salmon swimming across standing water on highways… and seals chasing their dinner.
ARTS AND CRAFTS HOUR
In December 2020, a Toronto man learned that Sharpie-drawn stickers do not qualify as legal license plate stickers. Toronto Police Traffic Services Detective Constable Scott Matthews posted a photo of this doctored plate to Twitter, saying another officer spotted the hand-written expiration on a car’s rear plate.
ABANDONMENT ANNIVERSARY
A Volkswagen Golf abandoned on the street in the U.K. has been sitting for so long that frustrated neighbourhood residents decided to throw it a birthday party. George Street in Shefford, Bedfordshire, has been home to an abandoned VW Golf since December 2019. The street has also been home to a large community of residents who are annoyed the vehicle has been an eyesore of the community for over a year now. In a final act of desperation, the community decided to throw the car a birthday party for remaining in the same spot for a year.
