Sault Ste. Marie church vandalized
Sault Ste. Marie police are investigating some acts of vandalism including an incident at a church. Officers were called to Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church on MacDonald Avenue after parishioners discovered a collection of statues had been damaged or destroyed.
The statue of the Virgin Mary in the grotto behind the church is now behind Plexiglas after it had been knocked over and several statues of children at her feet damaged beyond repair. Reverend Paul Conway, a pastor at the church said he was saddened to hear about the statues.
"There is something inside of people that are wounded, hurting, and don’t know how to deal with it," Conway said and adds no decisions have been made whether to replace the statues.
"Do we replace them? And if we do, what else do we have to do," he said. "I think most people in the parish would like them, but if there is, there’s going be a lot more ‘how do we make sure that nothing like this happens again.'"
In the meantime, investigators with the Sault police are looking for suspects and a motive.
"There was no evidence at the scene when officers arrived that point to this being hate crime-related," police spokesperson Lincoln Louttit said. "There’s no other evidence other than the damaged property. However, due to the nature that this did happen at a church, we do have officers looking to ensure that that isn’t the case."
Police are also looking into an incident downtown during which a number of flower planters were knocked over. However, the president of the Sault Ste. Marie Downtown Association, Salvatore Marchese, said since hiring private security to patrol the area at night, such incidents have been declining.
"Security has been going for about six weeks now," Marchese said. "It's usually routine patrols and occasionally there’s a minor incident here or there."
Meantime, Sault police are asking anyone who may have witnessed either incident or has surveillance footage, to contact them. They're also reminding people not to report crime via social media. Instead, they say to contact police directly and speak to an officer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.