Some time between 1 am and 6 am on Wednesday September 30, 2020, thieves made off with between 300-500 feet of copper wire from lighting fixtures at the City of Nanaimo artificial multi-use turf fields, located at 2235 Dorman Road.Â
The estimated cost to repair and replace the wiring is in the range of $20,000, and until such time the wiring is replaced, night time use of the fields has been cancelled.
Police were alerted to the theft by City of Nanaimo employees. Thieves managed to access the wiring in a manner that suggests some prior knowledge of the wiring in the park. The covers were then opened and the wiring was removed. Fibre optic wiring was cut but not removed.
The fields are a tremendous asset to our community, and are used daily by various sporting groups. It is so disheartening to see the extent to which thieves will go, with no thought or regard for the impact their actions have on so many, said Constable Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
The fields will be closed for several days while the damage is repaired. If anyone has information on this incident, please call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.
