Vandalism at south Edmonton cemetery ‘gut-wrenching’

As many as 50 gravestones were knocked over at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, while bronze vases and other property were also damaged.

Officials estimate at least $20,000 in damage was caused at the south Edmonton site, located in the Pleasantview neighbourhood.

“Any time we have any vandalism on any of our sites it’s actually quite gut-wrenching for the type of service that we provide and the nature and sensitivity of our property,” Teena Changarathil, with the city, said. “Whenever we have a situation like this, we always take a step back and wonder, ‘Why?’

“Who would do something like this?”

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The vandalism was discovered Tuesday morning and a report has been filed with police.

The damage is not isolated to one area; but spread across the cemetery.

“It’s surprising in the sense that it clearly was planned. Why somebody would plan something like this in a property like this is something that I don’t think I will truly understand,” Changarathil said.

“These things don’t happen very often but when they do it does take us back… We’re just surprised and shocked.”

The cemetery is the final resting place of Calvin Jensen’s father, aunt and grandparents and he said he was troubled by what happened.

“There are some people who probably visit here very regularly and it means a lot to them,” Jensen said. “We’re concerned not only for our family, but for other people here.

“I hope they’re not feeling so good now,” Jensen said of the vandal or vandals.

Changarathil said some of the toppled monuments weigh several hundred pounds.

“I don’t think it’s just one or two people, from the nature and volume of what was impacted and the way things were pushed over.”

WATCH: About 50 monuments at a historic cemetery in south Edmonton were damaged by vandals. Fletcher Kent has more on the investigation and cleanup.

1:20 Vandals target dozens of headstones in Edmonton cemetery

Staff have asked the security team to look at video from surveillance cameras and reach out to nearby businesses in case anyone saw anything overnight.

“It is open park land space. It’s open to the public, so there’s not much we can do from a control perspective,” Changarathil said.

READ MORE: Edmonton photographer ready to capture ‘love’ at cemeteries 

However, the city is looking at adding more outside cameras in the wake of this incident.

In the meantime, crews will repair what they can and keep impacted families updated.

According to the city’s website, burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery began well before the 20th Century.

“Many prominent members of the community are interned here and their markers help tell the story of Strathcona’s roots.”

READ MORE: Edmonton cemetery monuments damaged by vandals 

This is not the first time a local cemetery was damaged.

In April 2014, about 66 monuments at St. Michael’s Cemetery were damaged, with many tombstones toppled or shattered, urns destroyed, and many personal memorial items scattered across the grounds.

The damage of that incident was estimated to cost between $50,000 and $75,000.

At that time, police said there had been 10 incidents of cemetery vandalism in Edmonton over the course of three years.