Cenotaph vandalism leads to increased support for veterans

Recent vandalism to the provincial cenotaph in Fredericton may have had a positive impact on the annual poppy campaign.

Last week three bronze plaques were stolen from the city's downtown cenotaph as well as one from a cenotaph in Barkers Point.  

Police later recovered a plaque that had been sold to a scrap metal with the names and inscriptions ground off.  

"Unfortunately it was a bad thing that happened —terrible, nobody would ever want that to happen," said Fredericton poppy campaign chairperson Anne-Marie Rolfe. "But it did bring a lot of awareness to us."

Rolfe said the number of volunteers for the annual campaign has increased this year, as is community involvement and donations.  

"Although that was a terrible thing that happened to the veterans and the monument in our community that we all gather around on Remembrance Day. It's kind of like the star missing off the Christmas tree right — but in terms of us I think it really brought a lot of awareness."

Rolfe said the incident brought veterans to mind and got them thinking about their sacrifices.

"I wouldn't say it's a silver lining, but the incident has people talking about veterans when we are preparing for Remembrance Day."

Sgt. Scott MacKenzie of the Fredericton Police Department said the search for the suspect that defaced the cenotaphs plaques and tried to sell them as scrap metal is still ongoing.  

"We do have a suspect, he has yet to be apprehended," said MacKenzie. "We've yet to find him, but we do have reasonable and probable grounds to arrest him when we do locate him."

Mackenzie said that if the man is not located in the next few days they will most likely issue a warrant for the man who has yet to be identified by police.  

"If we can't find him this week, there will be a warrant out for the arrest," said MacKenzie.

Rolfe says if the poppy campaign does prove to be more successful than in previous years, veterans will be the ones who benefit the most.

"We were prepared to have to pay to have the plaques replaced," said Rolfe. "But the city and the province both stepped up to cover those costs, so everything we raise will go to the veterans.