Monument honouring those lost in deadly Nova Scotia mining disaster vandalized
It's a moving sight from a distance -- an oceanside monument honouring 12 miners who were killed in a Glace Bay mining disaster in 1979.
However, a closer look at the monument now reveals a different picture.
“It makes me feel heartbroken that someone would deface a monument that’s been put here for 12 miners who lost their lives and sacrificed everything for their families. It’s very hurtful,” says Joanne Sheppard, a family member of one of the miners who was killed.
A sexually explicit image has been spray painted at the base of the main statue, putting a damper on celebrations for the days-old tribute.
“Coming from Glace Bay, you know your history. You got to have mining in your family, whether it’s your grandfather or your uncle or your father,” says Mary Pat Mombourquette, executive director of the Cape Breton Miners Museum. “It seems like you’re spitting on all of those people and your heritage.”
It was in the early morning hours of Feb. 24, 1979, when 12 men lost their lives after an explosion in the No. 26 colliery.
Sheppard's father, Fabian Young, was one of the miners killed. She says she remembers the day vividly.
“I watched my mother go to pieces that day. She was never the same after that. Something like this stays with you forever,” says Sheppard.
Four men survived the blast but there has never been a place for families to reflect and remember, until recently. Twelve lunch pails with the names of the men who died engraved on them surround the main monument.
It's a project, with community support, that Sheppard has been pushing for.
“I think it’s really important that we have something in Glace Bay to commemorate and to remind people the loss miners faced over the years,” she says.
There’s still no word on who defaced the monument. Sheppard says she wants whoever did this to be held responsible and realize the impact of what they did.
“I’d like to appeal to the person who did this to come and make a public apology,” says Sheppard.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.