Just in time for the holidays, the Grinch has seemingly set up shop around Sechelt.
Over the past two weeks, a high number of plants, lights and Christmas decorations have been stolen, the district said in a statement.
Large evergreen plants have been completely dug up and stolen from community gardens – fortunately, so far no missing Christmas trees have been reported.
Decorations were even taken off the front door of the Seaside Centre, along with rows of tulip lights, fashioned from old water bottles that residents may have seen where Cowrie Street intersects with Highway 101.
Lindsay Vickers, manager of communications for Sechelt said that this type of theft occurs every year in Sechelt, and that it is usually most common in the summertime.
Vickers said that plants are the most commonly stolen item, and that some years entire hanging baskets have gone missing.
“It's really unfortunate, as our parks department does put in a lot of time and effort to design the gardens for everyone to enjoy,” she said.
She added that staff chose plants that can survive year-round while looking nice, and can be expensive.
Residents have been asked to watch for stolen items and to keep an eye out for people removing decorations or digging up plants.
If you happen to see the Grinch stealing the holiday cheer for themself, residents are advised to report it to Sechelt bylaw officers as well as the RCMP.
“It's just discouraging to note for our staff to put in all this effort in designing [gardens] and sourcing out plants that can live throughout the year and look nice,” Vickers said.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
