The quizzing continues…

by donalee Moulton

Last month we tried our hand at a fun quiz about watches—central to the mystery that unfolds in Bind. Well, the questions keep coming; only this time the focus is on thievery.

Try your hand at these. Scroll down for the answers.

QUESTIONS:

#1: What is the largest theft in Canadian history?

A. The “Canadian Maple Syrup Heist” in 2011-2012
B. The “Pearson Airport Gold Heist” in 2023
C. The “Costco Cigarette Heist”in 2004

#2: Which Canadian city was once known as the bank robbery capital of North America?

A. Toronto (or T-Dot as the cool kids say)
B. Vancouver (or Raincity as the locals call it)
C. Montreal (the City of Saints, unofficially of course)

#3: **Which Canadian criminal was known as the Flying Bandit?**

A. Ken Leishman, convicted gold robber
B. Gilbert Galvan Jr., convicted bank robber
C. Johnson Aziga, convicted murderer

#4: Who is Canada’s most infamous female bank robber?

A. Machine Gun Molly (died after being shot by police)
B. The Church Lady Bandit (convicted of robbing 11 banks)
C. Ma Barker (matriarch of a bank robbing family)

ANSWERS:

Question #1: The answer is A. Over several months in 2011 & 2012, thieves stole nearly 3,000 tonnes of maple syrup from a storage facility in Quebec (value of about $30 million in 2024). The theft was featured in the Netflix documentary series Dirty Money in 2018 (Season 1, Episode 5).

Question #2: The answer is C. From the 1950s to the 1970s, Montreal was the bank robbery capital of North America, with more bank robberies per year than even New York and Los Angeles. This was largely due to the light sentences handed down by Quebec courts—5 years in prison for convicted thieves compared to the 20 years in prison normally handed down by American courts.

Question #3: The answer is A & B. Canada had two Flying Bandits! The first was Kenny Leishman who masterminded the biggest gold heist in Canadian history—until the Pearson Airport Heist in 2023. He earned the nickname The Flying Bandit after he escaped from prison, stole a plane, and flew to the US where he was arrested. The second was Gilbert Galvan Jr., an American who escaped from a Michigan jail and fled to Canada where he robbed 59 banks and jewelry stores. He was dubbed The Flying Bandit for his habit of flying from city to city to rob banks. He robbed banks in every Canadian province except PEI and Newfoundland.

Johnson Aziga is the first person to be charged and convicted of first-degree murder in Canada for spreading HIV, after two women he had infected without their knowledge died.

Question #4: The answer is A. Monica Proietti, better known as Machine Gun Molly, was a Canadian bank robber from Montreal. She was suspected of masterminding at least 20 bank robberies during her short life. On September 19, 1967, she robbed a Montreal credit union with two accomplices. That set off a high-speed chase that ended with her being shot and killed by police. It’s been said that “If Al Capone had had a daughter, he would have wanted her to be Monique Proietti.”