new welcome sign in p.e.i. community stolen less than a week after it was installed
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in mid july, the rural municipality of bedeque installed four new welcome signs. within the week, one, located on callbeck road, had been stolen, said community cao kevin mckenna.
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a prince county community is looking for its welcome sign, stolen within the week of being erected.
four new four feet by eight feet signs went up on july 17, welcoming people into bedeque overtop the community motto: “strength in unity.” one of those, though, now is just two metal posts, and a smaller “bedeque eptek” sign and a little blue one reading, “#heartofpei”
the rural municipality’s cao kevin mckenna is disheartened to see one of them gone so soon.
“we paid a couple thousand for the signs, and one of them’s gone,” he said. “so we’re gonna have to replace it, i guess.”
he guesses the sign installed on callbeck road was taken sometime between tuesday, july 21 and thursday, july 23.
“assumedly, they didn’t do it in broad daylight,” said mckenna. “they did it during the late night or early morning, between those two dates.”
one of the community’s councillors, who lives nearby, was the first to notice the sign’s absence.
“she texted me last thursday, and she said, ‘did you take that sign down, kevin,’” he said. “and i said, ‘what sign?’ she said, ‘the community’s rural municipality of bedeque sign that you just put up.’ she sent me a picture of the vacated sign. it was no longer there.”
the sunday after noticing it was gone, the community posted to its facebook page, asking for anyone who knew anything to come forward with information.
the community also reported the incident to the rcmp.
the rural municipality of bedeque is asking the public for information regarding its new welcome sign, stolen some time between july 21 and 23.
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police investigation
cpl. gavin moore, p.e.i. rcmp media relations officer, confirmed the police are investigating the incident.
“we are asking anybody with information that can help assist with the investigation, to come forward to the east prince detachment, or, if they wish to remain anonymous, to contact crime stoppers,” said moore.
road sign thefts are under the jurisdiction of the department of transportation, and moore said the rcmp only knows of incidents reported to them.
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“it isn’t something, just anecdotally — because i read the files most days — it isn’t something that we do see very often,” said moore.
while mckenna would like to see the sign return, even with the report, he has little hope for its recovery.
“unfortunately, we don’t have any security cameras, or anybody that lives right across from it that may have surveillance cameras.”
ultimately, mckenna is at a loss as to why someone would take the sign at all, let alone so soon after it was put up.
“i can’t fathom for the life of me who would have any purpose for that sign,” said mckenna. “other than, probably, the steel cross members. they could probably sell those for some money at a scrap yard, i guess.”
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kristin gardiner is a reporter for the journal pioneer in prince edward island. she can be reached at kgardiner@postmedia.com.
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