Leo Mol sculptures toppled

Vandals knocked over three statues in the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden at Assiniboine Park late Saturday night, leading the head of the group that oversees park operations to call for increased security.

Irene Merie, executive director of Partners in the Park, said Monday that three sculptures by the world-famous Winnipeg artist were toppled: a bust of John Diefenbaker, a bronze statue depicting a family of four, and a sculpture of a nude woman.

"It appears there is no visible damage, that the statues were toppled onto grass and shrubs. But we won't really know until they're physically lifted to see if there is any damage underneath," Merie said.

"The sculptures themselves are pretty resilient. Often where we see that damage can occur is actually to the base where the statues are fixed."

In July, vandals had damaged the base of another statue in the sculpture garden. Merie said she will not know how much it will cost to repair the statues until later Monday.

Merie said the city is looking at fencing in the sculpture garden, but she believes more resources should be spent policing the area.

"Right now the park police are responsible for pretty much not only the larger parks, but also the smaller parks in the city. And they just can't be everywhere at all times," she said.

"So it would really be helpful if there were more resources put into policing, whether it be through park police or even a city police precinct in the park."

The sculpturegarden and gallery housemore than300 bronzes, ceramics, paintings and drawings by Mol, according to the organization.