War Monument Near Barrie Vandalized
Posted July 8, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The disturbing act of vandalism happened in a hamlet on the shore of Lake Simcoe. A concrete cross from the cenotaph at a Royal Canadian Legion branch in Belle Ewart, near Lefroy, was ripped off Thursday night. Investigators believe someone hooked a chain or rope to the sacred symbol and used their ATV to pull it off.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time vandals have targeted this particular memorial – this is at least the third time the war monument has been hit.
Local residents and legion members are infuriated and according to a published report, outraged veteran Ted Hoare of nearby Sandy Cove is offering a $100 reward for information that leads to an arrest. The Legion branch has also said it will likely match the offer.
This disturbing incident comes nearly a week after three drunken young men were photographed urinating on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Canada Day.
The trio has since apologized – one of the teens offered a written apology and the other apologized to veterans at a Legion branch Friday.
The adult accused of the disrespectful act, 23-year-old Stephen Fernandes of Montreal, also apologized and said he didn’t mean any disrespect to veterans or other Canadians offended by the act.
He said he was drunk that night and wasn’t aware of what he was doing.
He reportedly contacted authorities when someone called him and said his face was splashed across the front page of an Ottawa newspaper.
Fernandes is charged with mischief and the two teens won’t face criminal charges because they’ve agreed to formally apologize and do community service.
