Are kids from a youth facility wreaking havoc on this quaint Ontario town?

In 2000, young people from a mental health treatment facility in Ailsa Craig, Ont. burned down a sugar shack and shed on Ian McKay's family woodlot. 

Last month, someone broke into the rebuilt shed and shack and ransacked it again. 

McKay believes the vandals came from the same facility and he's scared it's only a matter of time before they burn the place down a second time. 

"Something has to be done," he told CBC News. 

McKay is behind a community meeting at the Ailsa Craig Legion on Wednesday, where he and other villagers will talk about solutions to what they say is an ongoing problem: young people from Craigwood Youth Services walking away from the treatment centre and stealing, vandalizing and setting fires in the community. 

He's handed out 800 flyers to everyone in the village, encouraging them to attend the meeting. 

McKay's family woodlot is across the street from Craigwood. 

"I'm not the only one who has this problem. There's a lot of people that do," McKay said. 

The Village of Ailsa Craig 

Walk down Main Street in the village in southwestern Ontario and you'll find a grocery store, a bar, a hair salon and a gas station. 

It's quaint, and very much like any other Ontario village or small town. Townsfolk are proud of their history and proud of the annual Gala Days and Turtle Races that attracts tourists. 

But a country block away from the main drag is a large yellow-brick Victorian farmhouse which houses young people dealing with issues — abuse and other childhood trauma, mental illness and family problems. 

It's a place where those between 12 and 17 year of age come to get well, but they can also get into trouble. 

Trauma, abuse

Those who are placed at Craigwood Youth Services work with youth workers and psychologists on their problems. It's a 24/7 residential facility, but it's not secure: the kids can walk away if they want, though staff encourage them not to. 

"The children and young people who come to us have very complex needs, mental health based and emotional needs," said Graham Ashbourne, Craigwood's executive director. "Many of them have been abused in various ways as young children and have experienced various traumas, and that impacts how they relate to others."

Still, when its residents cause damage in the community, Craigwood offer to help pay for the damages and sometimes police get involved. 

At Ian McKay's property, Craigwood paid for the installation of plexiglass on all the windows of the sugar shack so kids can't break the windows again. 

'Hands are tied'

Craigwood staff can't restrain the young people because of provincial guidelines. 

"Their hands are tied, I understand that," said Mike Cronyn, who co-owns the Foodland grocery store with his wife, Sara.

"These kids have rights, they can't be in lockdown. I get it. The only solution I see is close it, get it out of here. The community is tired of it, the break-ins, the damage, everybody's tired of it." 

The Foodland store was broken into three times in a week by the same youth, said co-owner Sara Cronyn. 

"The police were called, but in the span of a month that same child was in here stealing four times. The same child. That's the frustrating part, that there's no change. There's no consequences." 

The Foodland also sells beer and liquor, making it a frequent target, the Cronyns say. 

They will also be at Wednesday night's meeting. 

'Stealing, stealing, stealing'

Another frequent target is the gas station on Main Street. 

Anil Nakhwal has owned it for 20 years, and he says thefts are common. When one boy stole from him, Nakhwal didn't press charges because he felt bad for the child. When the boy came back to apologize for the first theft, he was caught on video surveillance putting four lighters in his pocket. 

"And he was here to say sorry to me" said Nakhwal, shaking his head. "These kids are wild. I don't blame them, I blame their parents." 

Some youths have also pushed his wife as she tried to prevent them from entering the store, Nakhwal said. 

The Ontario Provincial Police, which is in charge of policing in the village, disputes a frequently-repeated statistic by residents who say 94 per cent of the township's policing budget goes to deal with calls from Craigwood. 

"That number is not accurate," said Const. Chad Murray, of the Middlesex OPP. 

"There are various calls for service from Craigwood and we respond to them as we would at any facility or in any small community. There's a range of walk-away individuals, assaults, mischief, vandalism." 

Murray said the OPP and Craigwood work well together. 

"The kids are always dealt with in a professional manner, and they're respectful to us. We have generally good relations with them," he said. 

MPP Monte McNaughton said he's raised safety issues with Craigwood before. 

"It is serious and I don't have any tolerance for vandalism or violence. We have heard about safety issues for years. It is a real problem. I take constituent concerns seriously."