Vultures and Jackals

Jim Duff

Jim Duff, Hudson Gazette (Gazette Vaudreuil-Soulanges)

Editor's note:  Hudson is a town west of Montreal in the province of Quebec.  This column by Jim Duff, the long-time editor of the Hudson Gazette (now called Gazette Vaudreuil-Soulanges) applies to situations heard about and witnessed here in southern Alberta and therefore I asked his permission to share it with our readers, which he kindly granted.

This is one of those if-the-shoe-fits columns because I can’t name names, but you know who you are. Or maybe you don’t in which case I hope you’re not so morally blind that you can’t see yourself in the mirror.

We keep hearing about how Hudson has no industry so residential ratepayers are the only source of tax revenue. That’s not strictly true. Hudson has a thriving fleece-the-oldsters industry. If all the money stolen in a year was donated to the town, Hudson’s $26 million long-term debt would be paid off in no time.

Example A: She’s all alone in the world, a widow with an isolated home she needed a car to get to. A menace to herself, fellow drivers and pedestrians alike, she was persuaded to move to a seniors residence on the West Island. As soon as she was safely out of the way, human vultures and jackals descended on the house. A Group of Seven painting disappeared along with its certificate of authenticity, perhaps one of many but we don’t know because there’s no inventory. Her house will soon follow because of the location of the land. The confused, disoriented owner doesn’t care. A handful of people are in the know but they’re either in on it or don’t want to get involved.


Example B: He’s living alone with the occasional visit from family but friends and neighbours are his sole daily support. Always smart and funny, he risks depression because he sees himself losing control of his destiny. He has the money and the temperament that would allow him to enjoy living in a high-end private home, but he doesn’t want to lose his buddies. He’s agreed to move in with his caregivers, but in the meantime his valuables are disappearing.

I can’t tell you the number of cases I’ve heard similar to these. There’s a common refrain: Trust me because you know me. I’ve handled your financial affairs for years. Sign here.
I especially like the one that goes: We’re members of the same church, God-fearing Christians who would never take advantage of you because we love you.
I went through this with my mother. There was a long, long lineup of vultures and jackals feeding off her loneliness and helplessness, beginning with a family member and including dog walkers ($35 to walk two little Cairns), ‘compassionate caregivers’ and a huge supporting cast of knaves and scammers, including clergy. They even had her doubling up on prescriptions so they could sell her drugs.

There’s no honour among thieves but there’s one thing they all agreed on — fight any attempt to have her declared mentally incompetent, which would put an immediate end to their game. We estimated that they managed to steal $600,000 before the public trustee stepped in — and only after someone had the effrontery to try to be declared a ward of the estate.
In the end, seven lawyers negotiated an agreement, along with a payout of $60,000 from the estate to cover their bills. The Ontario Court judge called it one of the most disgusting examples of legal larceny she had ever witnessed. Vultures and jackals have no shame and this bunch never even blinked.

I used to think none of this could happen without the approval of the victim. I was wrong. The victim is constrained from reacting out of fear. “Oh, dearie, if you don’t agree, then we can’t look after you any more and you’ll be all alone, at the mercy of whomever decides to take advantage of you. We’re doing this all for you. Trust us. We’re the only ones who care.”

Ka-ching.

Then there are those who find themselves handing the financial interests of the elderly. I’m aghast at how little is being done to police these individuals, either self-regulating or unregulated. You’d think that after Earl Jones, there would be an immediate crackdown because his wasn’t an isolated case; there are dozens just like him.
The difference is they’re still operating because they know which clients won’t struggle by calling the media or the authorities.

Again, I can grasp their rationale. “Jim, she’s a difficult client. I can’t tell you the number of unpaid hours I’ve devoted to her file. My fees aren’t out of line. I go out of my way to ensure she’s looked after.” Left unsaid is the second part of that thought: “…as long as she’s alive…after that, it’s a free-for-all.”

It’s an ugly image, I know. Vultures, jackals and hyenas, circling, darting in to rip off a chunk and hasten the end so they can feed on the carcass to survive. Like their animal counterparts these human vultures know it’s inevitable, just as they know they’ll never be called to account, at least not in this life.

jimduff@hudsongazette.com