The Airdrie Royal Canadian Legion, joined by dignitaries Mayor Peter Brown, Banff-Airdrie MP Blake Richards, incumbent MLA Angela Pitt, Legion president Bob McNevin and past president Bill Drummond, held a small rally April 7 to denounce an act of vandalism at a local war memorial and circulate a petition asking for stricter penalties for such acts.
“We must press for real penalties for someone who commits a crime such as we saw here,” Drummond said. “Make no mistake – this is a crime.”
The LAV III memorial at Nose Creek Valley Museum – which was installed in 2016 to commemorate the sacrifices of 156 Albertan servicemen and servicewomen who lost their lives serving in Afghanistan – was found defaced with a large, white spray-painted tag the morning of March 22. Additional graffiti could be found on electrical boxes, street signs, garbage cans and a nearby Airdrie Festival of Lights sign along a stretch of Main Street running from Summerfield Boulevard to the entrance of Nose Creek Park.
Weeks after the incident, Drummond said he remains "enraged by the show of disrespect" on a memorial commemorating the sacrifices of Albertan men and women.
Richards denounced the vandalism as “despicable, cowardly acts,” and called the current penalties for defacing a war memorial inadequate to actually deter such acts. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, anyone caught vandalizing a war memorial can be fined a minimum of $1,000 for a first offence and be imprisoned for at least 14 days for a second offence. For every additional offence, they can be imprisoned for no less than 30 days.
“War memorials, like the LAV III, are important sites of gathering where we can reflect and remember the heroism and sacrifice of those who have fought for our peace and freedom,” Richards said via press release following the rally. “It is our responsibility to protect and preserve these memorials, to pass on the memory of those who served our country, and to honour and support our veterans. Acts of vandalism to a war memorial are an insult to everyone.”
The petition – opened April 2 – calls upon the House of Commons to increase the penalties in the Criminal Code for defacing a war memorial to increase. It is available at petitions.ourcommons.ca, and will remain open until May 2. As of April 9, 245 people from across the country had signed the petition online.
The act of vandalism prompted the Legion to start a campaign to raise the funds needed to purchase security cameras to be installed outside the museum. Donations can be made in person at the Royal Canadian Legion, Drummond said.
During the rally, Brown said the actions of the vandals didn’t represent, “the majority of people” who live in Airdrie.
“I’m disgusted,” Brown said at the rally. “This is truly something I would not have imagined.”
Brown encouraged residents to support the Legion by circulating and signing the petition.
