If Canadian law follows US law in this regard, then yes, after the public notice that tried to reunite the owners with their bikes, they are no longer property of the original owners. I buy bikes at police auctions, and the officers tell us that we now legally and rightfully own the bikes. We get receipts. They implied that they could even settle a dispute in case the original owner wants the bike back, and I would win.

Randy, the law only has enough time and money. Yes, we can imagine that they can and should do better to notify potential owners, but they have far less time and money than any business. It's bad enough that Torontonians barely had a chance, but folks from other provinces probably never heard of any hope. But they and you did the best you could, and that's all anyone can ask.

I had the same thought as Bianchigirll did about stowing away useful and valuable bikes. I guess it comes down to: if you're a low down criminal, you may not be blessed with a lot of sense anyway. That's all I can offer about why he was hording after stealing.

Bikes are easy to steal and hard to trace. I'm not happy about that, but I do accept it. I've had three bikes stolen from me, all of them precious to me. I've had one cannibalized. I know how it hurts.