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Local Living Local Living You lost it? Calgary transit may have found it
Local Living Local Living You lost it? Calgary transit may have found it
| You lost it? Calgary transit may have found it |
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| Written by Matt Kennedy |
| Friday, 16 April 2010 12:54 |
Calgary Transit’s lost and found has seen some strange items, and takes pride in returning them
Panic sets in when you loose an important item. The lost and found is always busy, and with 100 to 150 items lost per day, they have a revolving door of amazing new items coming in each day. “We’ve had dentures come in,” said Michael Shah, clerk at Calgary Transit lost property. “A guy will call and be like, ‘I’m looking for my teeth.’” Shah continued: “Musical instruments, sporting equipment, huge snowboards, skis, golf clubs, giant shovels, things I don’t even know [what they are]. Metal pieces of something somebody made.” Calgary Transit’s lost property even recovers wheelchairs, about one every two months, and once had a puppy in a backpack turned in. The tiny animal inside wasn’t discovered until after reaching the lost property headquarters, when the bag barked and started to move. Some lost items are more valuable than odd, though. Just ask Champ Bhaumik, who misplaced his wallet with almost $1,200 of VLT winnings in it. “My first reaction was that I left it at home, so I checked and it wasn’t there. I got into a panic,” Bhaumik said. Luckily for him, a woman found his wallet at a bus stop, and turned it in to the driver. A few days later Bhaumik received a call from the Alberta Motor Association (AMA), saying Calgary Transit had found his wallet. It was returned with all the cash. The Good Samaritan asked the driver not to disclose whom she was when she turned in the wallet, and did not choose to step forward when Bhaumik offered a reward. Even though he couldn’t share the wealth with those who played a part in returning his wallet, Bhaumik was quick to praise Calgary Transit. “Oh, I am very pleased with them because this has happened to me in the past, I lost something like a scarf or a hat and I followed up and immediately got it back,” he said. Michael Shah described the returning of an item as one of the highlights of the job: “I know [lost property] isn’t a money maker, but the people’s excitement when something is returned is worth it. You feel appreciated when they show that emotion. They’re happy.” Karen Hirl, Calgary Transit supervisor of sales and special programs, recalled such a time for her, when one Christmas a child lost an art project. “To you or me, it’s insignificant,” Hirl said. “To this kid it was really important, so we take everything very seriously as to how we enter it because you don’t know what the value is to that person.” To recover a lost item from Calgary Transit Lost Property, call 311 or 403-268-1600, or visit their website. If possible, be ready with a detailed description of the item, the date and time it was lost, and the route number the item was lost on. |
