The Summerland Ornamental Gardens said it suffered a ‘crucial blow’ after at least $100 was stolen from three on-site donation boxes in two separate heists during the past two weeks.
The gardens are part of the property at the Summerland Research and Development Centre and are maintained with help from the non-profit society, the Friends of Summerland Ornamental Gardens.
Chair Bonnie Fulton said the donations fund the wages of two full-time gardeners and the cost of maintenance.
“It’s a critical blow to us because we rely on those to receive donations from tourists and visitors who come on site,” she said.
On Aug. 2, locks were cut on three boxes and the money was stolen.
“So I replaced them with stronger padlocks, which maybe wasn’t a good idea because the next time they used a crowbar and damaged two of the boxes beyond repair,” Fulton said.
There is no video surveillance on site, but the gardens are monitored by commissionaires, hired by Agriculture Canada to provide security to the property.
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The gardens have been in existence for more than 100 years, and volunteer Andrew Matheson described the 15-acre heritage botanical garden as a spectacular space.
“Plants that are growing here were planted in the early 1900s and so it’s actually exceptionally unique,” he said.
Matheson described the thefts as “just low.”
“We do a lot with very little money and the employees rely on those donations for their paycheque and so it’s just low.”
The Summerland RCMP detachment opened a file on the incidents, but no suspects were identified and there is no video surveillance to obtain.
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