RCMP: The R is for ‘refund’
SARANAC LAKE, New York — Back in June I wrote about getting popped - twice - in Canada. The first time was by a CN railcop in the Charny yard outside Quebec City on my way to Halifax. Second arrest was in St. Leonard, New Brunswick after my 48′ container car was flooded by a dozen dreadies just as the train pulled outta’ Halifax.
They were climbing the stacks and waving at school buses to it seemed inevitable that we’d eventually get collared. We did. CN stopped the train and RCMP cops pulled us off and dumped us about a mile from the Trans-Canada highway.
While the Quebecoise gendarmes cashed my $141CAN fine some months ago, I’d been playing phone-tag with the RCMP corporal who busted us to get a copy of the group photo he’d taken of us. He told the photo had been accidentally erased (yeah, right) but then went on to inform me that he was working on getting me my money back.
Excusez-moi?
Well, he explained in his French Acadian accent, it seemed the tickets had been written improperly. They wrote us up for a provincial crime on a federal ticket (or vice versa) and so he asked the station commander to refund my money.
Today a brown envelope arrived in my post box. As long as the Canadian post office is willing to cash the money order, I’ll soon have $100CAN and the best part is, the Canadian dollar has increased in value. So, my $100CAN money order which cost me about $93USD earlier in the summer, is now worth about $98.60USD and is increasing…
Not a bad investment, eh?
Jaco out
September 19th, 2007 at 11:45 am
I knew you could turn the hoboing into a paying gig sooner or later.
September 19th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Jacob,
O wise one. I just cashed in my Exxon/Mobil stock and will invest in a bandana and bindle. Hopefully I can get poppped like you and get a higher return on my “investment”.
September 21st, 2007 at 4:39 am
So you made USD 5.60 on the deal, earning slightly better than “Prime,” were grossly underpaid for your literary efforts, received a refund because you weren’t able to complete your travel with CN, met some interesting people, and discovered at least one nice person at RCMP. Damn!
December 15th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
yo, jacob-
I’ll link to you (that’s not rellly worth anything, other than four people in the world getting their picture of me as a weird one with weird friends justified). Still. You never know. My site is, due to school policy, closed to google, haha!
Haven’t read your blog in ages, but I see all is well
Knowing you as very sensible, I hope you drank the 5.60.
Not to speak of the 100.
Big hug.
-b
January 15th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
The refund is great. But get that damn photo!
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:34 am
Nice article. Thanks.
Eugene
February 14th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Can you tell others about what happened so we don’t make the same mistake accidently?