'It was just getting too difficult': London's Kindness Meters have been retired

London's Kindness Meter program has come to an end after five years in the city's downtown parks due to continued vandalism and personal costs for the man behind the program.

The meters were repurposed parking meters used to collect money for local charities, placed in high foot-traffic areas alongside signage that differentiated them from parking meters and explained their use.

"It was just getting too difficult," said Lincoln McCardle, the founder of the program.

Kindness Meters were introduced to London in 2017 after McCardle saw a similar program in Ottawa. There were five meters, located in Ivey Park, Mitchell A. Baron Park, West Lions Park, Piccadilly Park and Victoria Park.

"I think, within two weeks of them being installed, a couple of teenage girls came through Ivy Park late one night and actually managed to get the top off the Kindness Meter.... They split it open, took whatever money was left in it and then threw the remainder of it in the river."

Vandalism and tampering were a constant problem up until the decision was made to retire the meters.

"A month ago, my friend who works at the city emailed me and said, 'Just so you know, someone set fire to the one in Victoria Park,'" McCardle said. "Like, how is that even possible for a metal parking meter? They must have been trying to break in or been unable to. They got some kind of flammable liquid, filled it and set it on fire so it was just destroyed."

The decision to retire the program stemmed primarily from vandalism, but there are other reasons. 

According to McCardle, the Salvation Army, which had previously agreed to collect funds from the meters for their charity and others, pulled out of their collection routine due to decreasing donations and the fact that not all meters were in operation, making it difficult to justify the effort of collecting from them.

Once the Salvation Army stopped collection, the responsibility was placed on McCardle. 

McCardle said the cost of maintaining the meters often came from his own pocket, as the program was not run by the city itself.

"I think we had a good run. We raised almost $7,000. I'm proud of what we did, and there was a lot of people who put a lot of energy into it over and above me, but I really just don't have the heart to try it again," he said.

In the future, McCardle said he hopes a similar program comes back to the city under more organized leadership. He believes a program of this calibre requires the backing and funding that a non-profit organization has. 

Still, he believes the meters affected some positive change for those experiencing homelessness, and beyond, while they were here.

"I think even some people who may not have benefited financially from the kindness meters in London, at least temporarily derived some kind of happiness from them, just the fact that they existed here."

The meters collected a total of $6,917 since 2017.