Families at a Manitoba preschool were left shocked after thieves stole an entire wooden playground structure from a fenced outdoor play area overnight, leaving young children asking where they would play.
The incident happened at Guiding Minds Montessori School in Headingley, a rural municipality west of Winnipeg. Owner and director Angie Izzard said she discovered the theft early Friday morning while taking out the garbage before the preschool opened.
What she saw immediately stood out. Part of the playground fence had been plowed over, and the schoolâs main wooden playset had completely disappeared.
âI was like, How?â Izzard told CBC News, questioning how someone could remove such a large structure that had been bolted into the ground.
The playset was not a small backyard item. According to Izzard, it was a heavy wooden structure designed for preschool children and had previously remained secure even during extreme weather, including winds reaching nearly 100 kilometres per hour.
Children and Parents Left in Disbelief
The private preschool has been operating for nearly three years and serves young children in the community. Staff had to explain to confused students why their favourite playground structure was suddenly gone.
Izzard said many children asked questions after being told that a âbad manâ had taken the playset. Some parents were equally stunned that thieves would target equipment built specifically for little kids.
âThere was just shock,â she said. âHow could someone even be this low to steal from, one, a school, and children?â
The theft is expected to create a major financial burden for the preschool. Izzard estimates replacing the playground equipment and repairing the damaged fence could cost several thousand dollars, a difficult expense for a relatively new child-care business.
According to CBC News Manitoba, RCMP officers visited the site after the incident was reported. Izzard said police told her they had never seen a theft quite like this before.
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School Plans Security Changes After Theft
In response to the incident, the preschool plans to install security cameras around the property to improve safety and monitor the playground area overnight.
The unusual case has sparked discussion locally because of the effort required to steal such a large object and the fact that the target was a preschool playground.
Swikblog has previously reported on other child and family safety concerns, including a recent toy recall linked to asbestos contamination fears.
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