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A New Brunswick musician whose vehicle was stolen and damaged has channelled his anger at the theft toward charitable giving.

Sébastien Michaud says the loss and recovery of his Honda Prelude has provided several lessons: first, how a like-minded group can band together to achieve a common goal, and second, why it's better to let frustration dissolve into compassion.  

The first lesson came in retrieving his Honda — purchased in 2006 and upgraded with features such as fresh paint and a new suspension and engine — after it was taken from his driveway on Oct. 27. 

The 42-year-old Moncton resident said that after police told him the car would likely be shipped out of the province, he published a notice on Facebook asking others in the car restoration community if they had seen it. 

As first reported by Radio-Canada, the post was widely shared by car lovers; his vehicle was spotted in Charlottetown, then photographed in Amherst, N.S. 

Xavier Roy-Lanctot, a Moncton resident who didn't know Michaud, shared images of the car on various online car groups. Eventually, camera footage of the vehicle — and the driver — was retrieved from the Irving gas station in Aulac, N.B., near the New Brunswick-Nova Scotia boundary.

Images of the driver were circulated online, and Michaud's car was found abandoned in Amherst on Nov. 1. Local police returned the vehicle to him.

After about $4,600 in repairs, covered by insurance, the Honda is safely back in Michaud's garage. 

But the tale doesn't end there. 

As his story was publicized nationally, Michaud said he heard that the alleged thief had substance abuse problems — and children. 

"We don't all have the same chances in life, and I felt this guy deserved a second chance. It turned my anger into compassion and empathy," he said.

"To me, it's just someone in dire need of mental health help and detox services," he said.

Michaud told people who wanted to help him after he lost his car to instead donate to charity. He set up a GoFundMe page for the benefit of the charity Harvest House Atlantic in Moncton.

The initial goal of $520 was quickly reached, he said. 

"This experience kind of opened my eyes .… I had this generosity flowing toward me. To me it just made sense to redirect it toward people like the guy who stole my car," he said. 

Marc Belliveau, executive director of Harvest House, said he found the gesture meaningful. 

"Five hundred dollars can help support people who are trying to seek shelter from the elements," he said. "It can help provide spaces for people who need addiction recovery supports. And it also could help fund a program that gives people a chance at a first apartment."

The director said it's not uncommon for citizens to feel anger toward people who are homeless or addicted to drugs, adding that it can be helpful to shift this anger toward charity.

"You know, people are frustrated with what they're seeing. We try to reframe it .... A lot of people have had pain and trauma in their lives and they've turned to substances of different kinds to medicate that. It doesn't mean that a good person isn't still in there."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2023.

Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press