An Ottawa business owner says he’s left having to replace thousands of dollars worth of equipment and tools after a trailer he owned was stolen this week. Joshua Nemchin has owned and operated the landscaping company Yard Kings for nearly 20 years. He says he arrived at a job site on Friday morning in the Crystal Beach area on Sunny Brae Avenue when he noticed something was wrong. “Something seemed odd and it took me a minute to realize what’s going on, and one of my workers actually pointed out that our enclosed trailer with all of our work equipment and tools were missing from the job site,” Nemchin said. “At first, I was kind of stunned and I was hoping it was maybe moved up the street.” Nemchin says he canvassed neighbours in the area who were able to provide him with surveillance video of the thieves getting away. Those videos showed a suspect vehicle arriving at the job site at around 4:48 a.m. Friday and leaving with the trailer. “I was disappointed and hurt as a small business owner. I’ve been saving tools and collecting stuff and holding up a good business for almost 20 years now. I felt disappointed for my clients as the project wasn’t getting done on schedule,” he said. He describes the suspect vehicle as an early 2000s white Ford F250 or F350 diesel truck with four doors, a long box, after market rims and a 4x4 sticker on the back of the box. Some of the items stolen include a diesel power utility vehicle, a wheelbarrow, saws, power washers, hand tools, electric tools and batteries, among others. He estimates the equipment and tools to be worth about $70,000. Nemchin has notified his insurance but says it will likely only cover a small portion of the losses. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t insured for everything. I probably should have upped my policy, but I didn’t. I’m hoping they will cover the basics of what I need so I can continue to provide the same service to our clients,” he said. In the meantime, other business owners and members of the community have stepped in to let him borrow equipment so him and his five employees can continue working. Nemchin says he has filed a report with the Ottawa Police Service, but no arrests have been made. With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Natalie van Rooy
