Nova Scotia
Plaques on historic landmarks have gone missing in addition to two church bells that were eventually recovered.
Stolen items in Pictou County have prompted public outcry for more action
Meig Campbell · CBC News
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A spate of thefts in Pictou County, N.S., targetinghistoric plaques and church bellsfor scrap metal have left residents feeling unsettled and frustrated.
In March, a 50-year-old brass plaque belonging to the McCulloch House Museum in the town ofPictou was stolen. In recent months,brass plaques were also ripped from two different stone cairn monuments in the communities of Lorne and Churchville. The Lorne cairn was built nearly four decades ago inrecognition ofClan Dunbar,some of the first settlers from Scotland in the community.
"They're just a little history, it's allit was. Nobody ever, ever touched anything years ago but now, nothing's sacred,"said ChesterDewar, a resident of Lorne and District 12 county councillor.
Dewar saidhe called the local junkyards in an effort to locate the plaquebut came up short. Now, it will cost more to replace the plaque than what he estimates it was sold for.
"If they got $30for it, it would really surprise me for scrap, but it's gonna cost $3,300 and tax to replace it," said Dewar.
Arlene MacGregor lives inChurchville and said her neighbours noticed the two missing plaques from thecairn erected in the townmore than90 years ago that marked the first house in the community.
MacGregor saidshe never thought anyone would have any interest in some old brass plaques.
"It was quite a blow to our system, I guess you might say," said MacGregor.
A church bell belonging to the Holy Name Catholic Church in Westvillealso went missing and was eventually found and returned. And a bell from a church in Ballantyne's Cove in Antigonish County also went missing and was discovered in Thorburn, Pictou County.
Residents started a Facebook group called Pictou County–Stop the Thieves in response to the thefts in early April and ithas since garnered more than1,000 members. The group includes posts by residents who are documenting other stolen items in the community, including a car batteryand a truck. Others are lamenting what they feel is inadequate RCMP action.
"Maybe these vandals realize that they can get away with some of this stuff now," said MacGregor.
Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon, the RCMP district commander for Pictou, saidhe understands why community members are frustrated.
"I feel frustrationas well, we're doing all we can," MacKinnon said. "They're very isolated areas that they were taken from. So we've done canvassing andtrying to get any leads on the investigation, but we're still looking as best as we can to track these down."
Maritime Noon53:00On the phone-in: Our topic is cancer and listeners share their stories. And off the top of the show, we hear from a woman in Antigonish County who recovered a stolen church bell. And we hear an update about the elver fishery in NS.
MacGregor saidthethefts haveleft a lasting impact onher small community.
"We feel violated that someone would damage a community icon for us," MacGregor said. "The thing is that the people that are doing that damage …it means absolutely nothing to them and they just feel they can damage whatever they want to get a few dollars."
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