The granite monument and Trans Canada Trail walkway in Hnatyshyn Park were vandalized with graffiti sometime this weekend.
According to Anna Johnston, executive director of the Ukrainian Seniors Centre, it happened sometime between Friday evening and Saturday morning.
Hnatyshyn Park is adjacent to the Ukrainian centre and across the street from the LCBO downtown.
The words “Creezy 4 McSexy” can be seen spray-painted on the memorial sculpture, which was designed by Mark Elliot and crafted by Khoury Granite Ltd. The monument was erected in 1991 to celebrate the centennial of Ukrainian immigration to Canada.
The vandal (or vandals) also spray-painted the words “I love you Michael” onto the path that runs through the park. The walkway is the mid-point of the Trans Canada Trail, which traverses the city of Sudbury.
“We did a lot of fundraising, and I know the City of (Greater) Sudbury contributed as well, to erect those monuments. Since it was erected, no one has ever put a mark on it. I’ve seen people pee on it, I’ve seen people climb on it, but never something so permanent. Let’s just hope this is the end of it,” said Johnston, who reported the vandalism to Greater Sudbury Police.
“It’s supposed to be there for everyone to enjoy. It’s a nice park to walk through when it’s clean.”
Hnatyshyn Park was named for the 24th Governor General of Canada, Ray Hnatyshyn, who also officially unveiled the memorial sculpture in 1994. Hnatyshyn was the grandson of Ukrainian pioneers who arrived in Canada in 1907.
According to Johnston, the Ukrainian Seniors Centre has been petitioning to redesign the park because over the years it has become increasingly difficult to keep clean.
“It’s an area where people like to go to use needles or drink alcohol. They throw needles over our gate and 911 is often called because someone is in distress. It’s not just garbage, either – we find underwear, people defecate and throw up.
“It’s gotten worse in the last two years. We worry our seniors can’t go out to enjoy the garden we spent a lot of money on,” she said, stating that the centre applied for a grant to fund the project last year.
“We have had to go through the whole process of filling out the grant application and hiring the architect/engineer and working with them for a redesign. Then, everyone has to be in agreement and that’s where we reached a stalemate, I think. Last I heard, we scheduled something to discuss the project with the city. It was scheduled for this September, but I haven’t heard anything back.”
In the meantime, Johnston said that she is in support of the idea of getting a supervised injection site in Sudbury – Public Health Sudbury & Districts recently completed a feasibility study that concluded that the city would benefit from supervised consumption services.
“If it gives people a safe place to go and gets them off the street, then yes, I am in support of it. Will it work? Who knows, but is it not worth a try?” she said.
The City of Greater Sudbury has been contacted about the vandalism incident, and Johnston said officials are planning to send someone to clean up the graffiti.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Greater Sudbury Police at 705-675-9171.
The Local Journalism Initiative is made possible through funding from the federal government.
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Twitter: @SudburyStar
Colleen Romaniuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Sudbury Star
