Grinch cuts holiday light display in Kitchener park
A holiday light display in Kitchener was meant to bring joy.
But instead, it was hit by vandals.
Christmas Fantasy opened in Victoria Park on Dec. 4, and since that time, lights and electrical cords have been found cut on two separate occasions.
Irina McCrossan said the display has been especially meaningful to her amid the challenges of the pandemic.
"I would walk around here and it would actually bring me some joy," she told CTV News.
"Victoria Park is a well-used space and it just sort of brings it alive during the holiday season," said Debbie Chapman, the councillor for Ward 9.
The Christmas Fantasy event is organized by the city with help from other organizations, including the Kitchener Pioneer Lions Club.
"We came and saw electrical cords that were out of the main panel," said Jessica Bailey, who works with the club.
The damage was discovered on two separate days.
Bailey calls the situation disheartening and dangerous.
"Depending on the cord, they're live. And then you have a hazard for the public."
Volunteers have tried to make repairs to the displays, but not everything can be fixed.
"Because of how it's wired at the beginning, we can't fix [some of them]," said Bailey.
This isn't the first year the displays have been damaged, but Bailey said the latest incident has been especially bad.
Losses are estimated to be in the hundreds of dollars.
"Please stop," pleaded Bailey. "We do this for the community, including you, to bring joy."
Those walking through the park were also disappointed to learn about the damage.
"Any kind of vandalism is wrong, but definitely when it's just something that's made to get people in the Christmas spirit," said Soleil Grise, who works nearby. "It seems extra intolerable."
"They're trying to bring joy to us," added McCrossan. "You're not only taking the joy away from yourself, but from other people."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.
Quebec premier asks police to dismantle camp at McGill University
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on the police to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the lower field of McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada’s financial-crime watchdog has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of U.S. dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.