'Holy grail of all finds': Ottawa boy finds gun while magnet fishing in creek
A 12-year-old Ottawa boy is sharing his story after a magnet fishing trip turned up an unexpected find.
For Nathan Sirois, magnet fishing is a favourite pastime. Tie a strong magnet to the end of a rope and away you go, looking for a big catch.
Cans, washers and other small items are among some of his most common finds. But last week at the Green’s Creek Bridge, Nathan found something he never had before.
"As we pulled it up, it seemed like a riffle or a gun or something," he said.
"For any magnet fisher it's absolutely the holy grail of all finds," added Nathan’s mom, Melanie Baron.
The gun is their biggest find yet.
"I was so excited, my heart was beating so fast," said Nathan.
But like at times with a fish, this catch didn’t make it ashore.
"Maybe about right here, I tried to help my mom, but it fell back in the water, it's really unfortunate," Nathan said.
However, Nathan and his mom knew what to do and called police. The Ottawa Police dive team returned days later to search for the weapon.
"For me, this was a first, where a member of the public called it in, our dive team has searched for other weapons and pieces of evidence, but this is definitely a first where someone was magnet fishing and come across something," said Const. Caroline Gallant of the Ottawa Police Service Marine, Dive and Trails unit.
Const. Gallant was the one who recovered the gun after about 20 minutes in the water and said she’s thankful Nathan and his mom called it in.
"You can't see anything in there, I couldn't even see my hand. So we definitely don't want anyone going in there recovering the things they find," she said.
While Nathan and his mom may feel they lost their biggest catch yet, they assisted police in an important recovery.
"You want to teach your children and teach everybody if you do see something like that, take the time to report it,” said Baron.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.