A war memorial in front of a Toronto high school has been defaced again, just days after it was rededicated following a restoration project spearheaded by community members.
Days before Remembrance Day, someone wrapped blue duct tape around the statue outside Malvern Collegiate Institute and pried three letters off its base over the weekend.
Surveillance video (attached to this story) captured four males pulling off the letters, wrapping the memorial in duct tape and attempting to break off one of its arms before taking cellphone photos of the damage caused Sunday at about 12:45 a.m.
The memorial depicts a male holding chains in his left hand, raised in the air, and a sword in his right hand.
A man who lives in the area used a ladder to remove the tape later Sunday, but the letters sustained some damage and must be repaired at a cost of $2,000 before they can be re-attached, school officials said.
School principal Line Pinard said she is "appalled" by the act of vandalism.
Police are investigating, and a reward is being offered for information that leads to arrests.
Pinard said some information has been posted on social-networking websites.
There are plans to install better lighting and high-quality surveillance cameras, Pinard said at a news conference, where she was joined by community members who led a fundraising campaign to restore the memorial.
People gathered last Friday to celebrate the rededication of the memorial after it underwent $44,000 in repairs.
First unveiled in 1922, the memorial honours 25 former Malvern Collegiate Institute students who died in the First World War. Some of their relatives spoke at last week's ceremony.
The memorial has been targeted by vandals before. Over the years it has been splashed with paint, hit with eggs and wrapped in toilet paper, and pieces have been broken off. The status fell into disrepair before it was restored.
The high school is located at 55 Malvern Ave., near Gerrard Street East and Main Street.
