Volunteers and garden-goers are questioning why vandalism keeps happening at the Halifax Public Gardens after a historic building was damaged in a suspicious fire Monday night — the latest incident in a series of bizarre attacks.
“It’s absolutely reprehensible,” said Judith Cabrita, chair of Friends of the Public Gardens.
“It’s just a beautiful place that everybody enjoys, and to think that there’s somebody that would destroy this for other people … why? You have to ask why.”
Police and firefighters responded to a fire at the Horticultural Hall around 11 p.m. Monday. The fire was extinguished and there were no reported injuries.
Police are asking anyone with information or video to come forward.
Cabrita said she heard about the fire from a Friends of the Public Gardens member Tuesday morning and came to the park as soon as she could.
She said it was a sense of “deja vu,” as the historic building was just recently fixed after it was damaged in a suspected arson in September 2022.
Cabrita said the building, which houses a coffee shop and acts as a visitor information centre, was built in 1836-38 and is “an old building, even for Halifax.”
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At the end of March, Friends of the Public Gardens shared a picture of the repair work being done after the last fire.
Ann Venters, who was walking in the gardens on Tuesday, said it appears “somebody really has it in for the Public Gardens” and said she was angered by the repeated vandalism.
“I actually walked past here a day or two ago and realized (the Horticultural Hall) had all been fixed from the previous fire,” she said. “And now it’s burnt again.”
In addition to the suspicious fires, 32 trees at the garden were vandalized in late July when an unknown vandal or group broke into the Public Gardens and removed strips of bark around the trunk of the trees “in an apparent attempt to kill them.”
The bark cutting, known as girdling, is a way to kill a tree without cutting it down, as the cambium layer the part of the tree that produces new wood is damaged. Most of the trees were between 50 and 200 years old. At least four trees have neem removed since the incident, as staff try to save the rest.
A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible in that case.
Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. John McLeod said investigations into the two previous incidents — the September fire and tree girdling — were closed without charges due to a lack of investigative leads.
“But certainly, at any point if new information was to come forward, we would be able to reopen those investigations,” he said.
HRM spokesperson Ryan Nearing said in a statement that municipal staff are still examining the extent of the damage in the latest fire, but it’s thought to be “minimal.” The timeline and cost for repairs is still being determined.
‘It’s really sickening’
Patrick Moan, who lives in the area, said he visits the park almost every day.
“One of the reasons we live here is the park, it’s a phenomenal public amenity,” he told Global News. “It’s a very special park.”
He said he went to the gardens Tuesday morning and noticed the gates were closed. He was angered upon finding out why.
“It’s really sickening,” said Moan. “It’s very sad, and it’s a real sense of loss for a lot of people.”
Jill McKenzie, who was in the park Tuesday, said the latest act of vandalism was “really, really sad” and noted that people often come to a park for a sense of peace and tranquility.
“I’m just sort of astounded why anyone would want to destroy such a beautiful place that’s been a really integral part of this city for a long, long time,” she said.
“It’s pretty devastating.”
Cabrita, chair of Friends of the Public Gardens, said there are security cameras but “they don’t deter the person who really wants to do something.”
With the garden’s busy season about to start, she said the park remains open for visitors.
“It’s a devastating thing to happen, but it’s not going to stop what happens here,” she said.