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Parks and Recreation staff received numerous calls over the weekend regarding vandalism and damage at Mill Street Park and L'Orignal Park.
Vandalism seems to be a recurring problem in Champlain as several parks have already been subject to malicious intent, mainly at Mill Street Park in Vankleek Hill and L'Orignal Park, which are a bit far from the road and from neighbors. Champlain's territory is large, which makes it impossible for us to be everywhere at the same time.
Breaking a slide in the children's playground, dumping garbage cans on the ground, drawing graffiti on a wall or fence, breaking a picnic table, damaging tree and plants, these are just a few of the acts that Champlain Township suffers from every year and that reflect a lack of civism and respect for public property by certain individuals.
While these acts are often minor, they are reprehensible acts of vandalism that frequently harm the users of parks and green spaces. These intentional behaviours are criminal and the offender may be subject to criminal sanctions or fines.
Many would say that part of the solution would be to install surveillance cameras in the parks. However, some parks already have cameras, but it is impossible to get a 360° view.
The best solution remains vigilance and awareness among citizens. The Township of Champlain invites the population to keep an eye out and to educate the public, young and old, about the consequences of vandalism.
When you witness:
- an act of vandalism (e.g. individuals trying to break a playground equipment)
- an act of incivility (e.g. a group of people on the roof of the arena)
- Nighttime disturbances (e.g. gathering in a park after 11 p.m.)
please contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 613-632-2729 or 9-1-1 (life-threatening emergency or crime in progress).
When you notice
- a broken equipment
- graffiti
- a lighting problem
- a maintenance problem
please report the problem on our website under Action Request or Report a Problem or email us at inforecreation@champlain.ca.
To maintain the quality of our parks and green spaces, we need everyone's cooperation. You are part of the solution!
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