It has been all hands on deck on Monday, as current and former members of the Canadian military joined forces to remove graffiti from a memorial at Halifax’s Point Pleasant Park that commemorates Canadian sailors who died for their country.
Local residents woke up on Monday to find the monument had been vandalized overnight. Paint could be seen splashed on one side of the memorial, while graffiti featuring anarchy symbols and crude language appears on the side facing McNabs Island.
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Ben Hovinga, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, arrived at the memorial shortly before 11 a.m., equipped with a bucket and cleaning supplies.
“I immediately felt extreme dread and sadness for whatever these people have done here and I just decided to come down and clean it up,” Hovinga said.
“It’s not about the war anymore, it’s about remembering those who fought for us in the past. Without them, we wouldn’t have Canada as we have it today.”
He told Global News that he knew couldn’t remove all of the spray paint on Monday but that he planned to uncover all of the names of those who served.
Hovinga was soon joined by current and former members of the Canadian Navy, as well as members of the general public who came to help.
“When I first saw it, I just thought (it was) absolutely appalling and disgraceful, and who could do something like this?” said Marcy Robinson.
Employees with the Halifax Regional Municipality also assisted in the cleanup.
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Some left feeling inspired by everyone who came together for a common cause.
“Restores your faith in humanity a little bit, doesn’t it?” said Atika McCracken.
The Halifax memorial commemorates the lives of over 3,200 Canadian sailors and soldiers who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.
Halifax Regional Police are investigating to determine who is responsible for the vandalism.
—With files from Jeremy Keefe
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