Church vandalism: Another Metro Vancouver church covered in graffiti; local police investigating
Metro Vancouver police are investigating another act of vandalism after a church was covered with orange graffiti over the weekend.
New Westminster police said in a news release Monday that St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, which is at Royal Avenue and 4th Street, was targeted on Sunday.
"We're working to find the people responsible for this and hold them accountable," said Sgt. Sanjay Kumar in a news release.
"We’re asking anyone who witnessed this vandalism or knows who may have been responsible for it to contact the New Westminster Police Department."
Last week, Vancouver police said its department had notice an uptick in vandalism of local churches in the past two months. Investigators in that city said they're looking into 13 incidents of mischief and vandalism at churches and church properties since June 2. Some of the reports include rocks being thrown at windows, graffiti and threats of buildings being set on fire.
At least six other churches in B.C. were destroyed or damaged by flames over the past several weeks. Mostly recently, a Surrey church was destroyed in what police are calling a suspicious fire. An Abbotsford church was also set on fire last week, though police have moved from describing that incident as arson to a case of mischief.
Some have speculated that the recent church destruction and vandalism could be connected to discoveries of unmarked graves at former residential school sites across the country as most of the schools were run by the Catholic Church.
The schools were known for overcrowding, poor sanitation, unhealthy food and menial labour. Harsh punishment was given to students who spoke their native language or took part in traditional ceremonies.
Investigators are hoping to speak with anyone who has additional information about Sunday's vandalism. Anyone with details or surveillance video from the area can call police at 604-525-5411.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.