Spending a hot afternoon away from his family, digging through garbage cans was not how Devin Sisak planned to spend his weekend.
After three days of searching, chasing tips from people on social media, Sisak was directed to a green construction bin in the parking lot behind the Seasons Retirement Home on Fraser Street.
That's where he eventually found his son's belongings, covered in rotten food and garbage.
"This stinks. I can't give this to him now," said Sisak as he held up a wet stuffed animal after pulling it from the dumpster.
The Cambridge father has been searching for his disabled son's belongings in the three days since his accessible van was broken into overnight at the Gaslight District's indoor parking lot.
Sisak's 12-year-old son Holden is non-verbal and is confined to a wheelchair but despite his challenges, Holden always wants to be out in his community enjoying the world.
The family went to the Friday night Monster Market at the Gaslight District before attending a show at the Hamilton Family Theatre with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra.
Sisak said after the market, the family grabbed a bite to eat at the Foundry restaurant.
"It was really a nice night out after a long week of school and work. Holden was able to relax and we had the weekend ahead of us. It was great," he said.
After having a beer, Sisak who is married to Ward 5 councillor Sheri Roberts, grabbed a ride home with her, leaving the van in what he thought was a safe spot in the underground garage.
Upon returning the next morning the family was shocked to learn someone had broken into the van.
"I noticed my door was slightly opened at the top and the door was unlocked, I looked over and the passenger door was unlocked too. That's when I knew something was wrong," Sisak said.
When he looked in the back, his heart dropped.
"They took Holden's school backpack, his baseball bag and worse of all his adaptive jacket that was custom made for his wheelchair," he said with a shaky voice.
The only question going through his head was "why?" "Why would someone break into an accessible van and steal a child's things?"
Sisak knew it would be a difficult conversation, but he decided to tell his son the bad news as soon as they got home.
"I told him that his backpack was gone and his baseball gear was gone. Then I had to tell him that his blanket that he's had since he was a newborn was also stolen."
He recalls the look on his son's face when he put everything together.
"Devastating. Just purely devastating as a parent to tell your child that there are people in this world that will take things from you without even caring," he said. "There is no accountability."
MPP for Kitchener South-Hespeler, Jess Dixon agrees there is little accountability for petty theft and said catch-and-release laws are playing a role in letting criminals back onto the streets.
"When there are no consequences for the small things, then people think they can keep committing crimes and it gets worse," said Dixon who worked as a Crown prosecutor for 10 years.
She said federal laws have created a system that limits the power of police and puts an extra strain on the court system, overloading courtrooms and dockets.
Dixon thinks that with the end of these laws, the justice system will have more power to keep people safe from repeat offenders.
"If we want things to change there has to be consequences and it's not even about the severity, but catch-and-release just creates a vicious cycle of habitual offenders," she said.
After putting out a call on social media about his son's missing items, Sisak received immediate support from the community and had people crowd-sourcing ways to buy a new jacket, replace his baseball gear and find the person responsible.
Holden lives and breathes baseball and losing his equipment was especially hard on him, Sisak said.
Cambridge Minor Baseball has offered to replace all his equipment and other members of the community wanted to start a GoFundMe to replace all the other items.
"The money isn't a big thing for us. The jacket that was given to him by the Jays Care Association was around $900, but we are going to replace that out of pocket," he said. "We really just want his blanket and the jacket back if possible."
Yesterday afternoon, Sisak got a tip from someone online that his things were spotted at The Bridges Shelter in downtown Galt.
After racing down there to confront the person seen wearing Holden's baseball bag, he was told by the man he'd found in a nearby dumpster.
Sisak said he knew the man was telling the truth because he handed the bag over and was upset to learn it had been stolen from a child with special needs.
A request to talk to executive director Wayne Paddick about the possibility that other items might be inside did not get an immediate response.
Sisak was told the other contents of his son's backpack were dumped in a contractor bin near the Gaslight District.
After checking multiple bins in the area, he focused on a giant green bin behind the Season's Retirement Home where he found the Toronto Blue Jays shirt with Holden written on it and his son's stuffed animal.
"I just don't understand why someone would want to steal these things. This is a kid's backpack, it's just insane," he said, while holding the garbage soaked items.
"His entire week's worth of school work, library books, stamps with his name, because he can't write, all gone."
While everything can be replaced, the mental toll it's taken can't be undone, Sisak said while sitting in the parking lot of the Shoppers Drug Mart near The Bridges. He said he can't shake the feeling someone there knows where the rest of his son's belongings are.
"I don't think it's fair to paint everyone who is struggling with the same brush and not everyone who lives unhoused who is bad," Sisak said. "But when victimized people are victimizing other vulnerable people, it's hard not to get angry."
"There needs to be accountability, because there is no reason why my son's things should end up at the Bridges or an encampment."
