The Higgins family is back home in Surrey after a visit to Victoria, but their Toyota van remains in a motel parking lot here because no one seems to know how to replace its lost key.
John Higgins is offering a $500 reward for the return of his lost keys.
He said the frustrating saga began last Friday after a dinner at Nautical Nellies. The family was walking along Wharf Street and stopped briefly outside SendtoNews at 1111 Wharf.
Higgins was carrying his keys but put them down to tie his son’s shoes. They began walking again, turned at Darcy’s Pub, went through Bastion Square and got to Oh Gelato on Government Street before Higgins realized the keys were gone.
The family hurried back to Wharf Street, he said, adding that there was no duplicate key for the 2002 van when he bought it a month ago.
“It had probably been about 15 minutes and we came back, and they were just totally gone,” Higgins said. “We went to every bar, every open business. I posted reward posters.”
He said an inquisitive crow could have grabbed the key ring, but he remains hopeful someone will spot them.
Higgins said the van was imported from Japan, which makes key duplication more of an issue. The computerization of the van is also a factor, he said.
He said Toyota dealers have not been able to help, because a replacement key can’t be ordered. He has also searched Google and YouTube with no luck.
Higgins described the missing key ring as having a number of fobs, a carabiner and a small, handcrafted piano his son had made.
Anyone who finds the key ring is asked to call Higgins at 604-616-8384.
