Daycare loses playground structure in brazen overnight theft

HEADINGLEY — Children at a Montessori school in Headingley were set to enjoy one of the first warm days of the season, but when owner Angie Izzard arrived to open the facility Friday morning, she discovered it had been targeted in a bizarre overnight burglary.

Somebody rammed a vehicle through a chain link fence surrounding Guiding Minds Montessori playground and stole a wooden play structure.

Izzard said it appears the structure was cut free from its supports with a saw before being hauled away.

“How? How could this happen? Who? Why? I’m just shocked,” she said, adding that an assortment of other children’s toys were also missing.

“They are stealing from kids.”

When the Free Press arrived at Guiding Minds around noon, a bent and battered metal fence marked the spot where the break-in occurred. Tire tracks left a clear impression in the gravel and nothing remained of the play structure beyond a few splintered pieces of wood.

Mounties have launched an investigation into the incident, an RCMP spokesperson confirmed, but police had little information to provide Friday morning.

Izzard said her building was not equipped with exterior surveillance cameras, but she now plans to apply for support through the provincial government’s business security rebate program.

She said she believes investigators intend to canvass nearby businesses in search of video footage and other clues.

The break-in dealt a devastating blow to her daycare, which operates as a private business without government support. Throughout an average day, the centre provides care and education to nearly 60 kids who range in age from 18 months to six-years-old, she said.

Izzard opened the early childhood education centre about two years ago alongside her husband, Jack. Thieves targeted the building twice while it was under construction and stole tools from contractors, she said.

The couple raised about $25,000 to create an outdoor playground for the children, with donations from parents and other community members, Izzard said.

The play structure was installed last year.

“This is their area where they just kind of let loose — run, scream, play with their friends,” Izzard said, pointing toward the sandbox where the structure had been.

“On a beautiful day like today, when we’ve had a really crappy spring, we wanted them to come out and play, but we can’t now because we have to make sure it’s safe.”

Assistant director Cathy Helms said she is still trying to wrap her head around what happened.

“I don’t understand what the motivation would be,” she said.

“This is just sad. Our kids don’t understand it, and now I’m in the position of explaining to my kids why there are people out there like this.”

Parents of children who attend the facility wasted no time offering support to Izzard and her staff. Helms said she fielded numerous phone calls and visits throughout the morning.

“If there is one silver lining, that has been it, she said. Just an in-our-face reminder of how awesome our families are. They are wonderful, wonderful people,” Helms said.

One parent, William Aitken, launched an online fundraiser in an effort to help purchase a new play structure.

While insurance may cover some of the damage, it could be months before claims are processed and he does not want to see the children spend the summer without a fully outfitted playground, he said.

“The daycare is extremely well run, it’s extremely efficient and it’s such a benefit to the kids,” said Aitken, who has a three-year-old son enrolled at the centre.

“I’m just trying to do what I can to help them through a stressful time. I know when something like this happens, community is going to band together.”

He described the break-in as shocking, bewildering and brazen.

Mayor Jim Robson said property crime in Headingley, which borders western Winnipeg, has declined in recent months, according to updates from the RCMP.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca