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$50K reward offered for information on Halifax Public Gardens tree vandal

The Friends of the Public Gardens and Robert Pace, the chair of the Public Gardens Foundation, are offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for vandalizing 32 trees at the Public Gardens in July.

Halifax Regional Police have a new tip line dedicated to finding out who damaged 32 trees

Anjuli Patil · CBC News ·
Photos showing two trees with a ring of bark stripped away and wood chips on the grass.
Bark was stripped off 32 trees at the Halifax Public Garden in July. Municipal staff are monitoring the health of the trees to see how many will be able to survive. (Halifax Regional Municipality)

The Friends of the Public Gardens and the chair of the Public Gardens Foundation are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those who vandalized 32 trees at the Halifax gardens in July.

The information can be shared with Halifax Regional Police with a new tip line dedicated to the case: 1-902-471-7877.

"Halifax residents are proud of their beautiful Public Gardens and these senseless acts of vandalism to the gardens have greatly impacted residents and galvanized them to help find those responsible for these crime," the two entities said in a joint news release on Thursday.

The trees were vandalized sometime between 9 p.m. on July 25 and 7 a.m. on July 26. Some of the trees damaged were 200 years old. So far, four of the 32 damaged trees have been removed from the gardens and work is ongoing to try and save the rest.

"Replacement of the 32 trees is estimated to cost more than $350,000," the news release noted.

The reward was established through $25,000 in anonymous donations from "concerned citizens" to Friends of the Public Gardens and the other $25,000 came from Robert Pace, the chair of the Public Gardens Foundation, "to personally match public donations."

people stand around a tree that is blocked off with yellow tape.
A damaged tree surrounded by police tape at the Halifax Public Gardens on July 27, 2022. (Lyndsay Armstrong/The Canadian Press)

The reward will be in effect until Dec. 30, 2022.

Police want anyone with information, images or video related to the vandalism to get in touch via the dedicated hotline. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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