According to the building’s owner Wolfe Vracar, the Loners
Motorcycle Club moved into its current location in the basement of a building
on Montreal Road just over a year ago, in December of 2017.
Originally founded in Ontario decades ago, the Loners is a one-percenter club and advertises the fact by including a “1%” symbol alongside its main patch. Other clubs that claim to be one percenters include the Hells Angles, Satan’s Choice, the Lobos among many others.
“The term one percenter derives from the belief that the
remaining 99 per cent (of motorcycle riders) are law-abiding citizens,”
explained Cornwall Community Police Service Staff Sgt. Rob Archambault, of the
criminal investigation division.
A local news source began investigating the possibility
of a Loners MC clubhouse in Cornwall after being told by another tenant in the
building who has since moved out. That tenant said the Loners’ presence
downstairs was the reason for the departure.
The new source also spoke to some
of the residential tenants of the building, who said they didn’t know much
about the motorcycle club in the basement other than the fact they could be
very noisy.
Vracar acknowledged he had rented the basement to the Loners
MC.
When asked why he was comfortable having a one-percenter
club as a tenant, Vracar said he tries not to prejudge people, and noted they
have been good tenants for the past year. He refuted the concerns of his former
tenant, saying he believed that tenant left for business reasons.
“I could put them out any time that I want, but they have
been very respectful and there haven’t been any issues of any kind. I don’t
paint anybody black until they do it themselves,” said Vracar.
He was also asked to pass along an interview request. Word of Vracar’s tenants came up as CCPS was increasing its enforcement efforts and officer training to deal with motorcycle clubs as part of a new initiative that has been dubbed “Project One Percent.”
In late November, the CCPS received a nearly $100,000 from
the provincial government’s Civil Remedies Grant Program to help fund Project
One Percent in Cornwall. The official description of the initiative’s goal was
to “help to decrease outlaw motorcycle gang activity.”
“We are using this money for a variety of different things
within the service and within the community,” said Archambault. “We are going
to provide training to our officers in recognizing different criminal elements,
we will also be reaching out to our community and business partners in the
community to provide them with the ability to observe, notice and report
criminal activity. ”
When asked outright if the CCPS was aware of any one per
cent motorcycle club in Cornwall, including the Loners’ possible presence on
Montreal Road, Archambault would not comment on any specifics, but said CCPS is
aware of the presence of biker gangs in the city.
“We are aware of many possible locations where motorcycle
gangs might be frequenting, but we are not at liberty to say what the locations
are that we suspect,” he said, explaining that to share any detailed
information or confirm knowledge of a specific club could jeopardize any
investigations that might currently be underway.
Archambault said motorcycle clubs can be involved in the
same illicit activities that other organized crime groups are. This includes
smuggling everything from drugs to humans, which is a prominent issue in
Cornwall.
“In Cornwall, we suspect the main source of their criminal
activity is likely drug trafficking,” he said.
The CCPS’ street crime unit has the issue well in-hand, said
Archambault, and there’s no reason for the public to be worried. But the police
are encouraging anyone who does see something suspicious or concerning to call
and tell them about it.
SOURCE: Standard Freeholder