(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

DROP-IN SPORTS NOW 18+ ONLY

Vandalism in Sylvan Lake continues to have community impact

Apr 18, 2025 | 10:00 AM

Effective as of Apr. 16, drop-in sports at Multi-Campus in Sylvan Lake will now only be open to adults over 18-years-old for the remainder of the season.

The Town of Sylvan Lake says the decision was made to protect the facility and equipment following ongoing incidents of vandalism during the program.

It is currently working with the RCMP and the school division to review footage related to the incidents.

This isn’t the first vandalism challenge the town has faced as of late; in fact, just in February and March of this year, two different public washroom facilities needed to close after they were vandalized.

Over the winter holidays, its Christmas Village had multiple tree lights cut or dismantled and in the summer of 2024, a wheelchair swing at the Health and Wellness Healing Hub was damaged.

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Related:

• Public washroom vandalized in Sylvan Lake now closed
• Sylvan Lake’s Leader Field washrooms closed for repairs after vandalism damage
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• Town of Sylvan Lake troubled by vandalism at Health and Wellness Healing Hub

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Jared Waldo, Sylvan Lake’s communications officer, said it’s frustrating to see a growing number of these incidents happening in the community.

“Every time there’s an act of vandalism, there is a cost to taxpayers, whether that is through staff time to go and clean up, and certainly repair these instances in these facilities,” he said. “And that’s unfortunate, especially at a time when we are trying to be as fiscally responsible as possible.”

Last year, the town invested in additional security cameras for its high traffic areas and has been working more closely with RCMP.

While this has helped on the accountability side of things, Waldo said it doesn’t prevent the vandalism from happening.

“It’s a terrible situation and people just need to stop doing it. Why or how they’re doing it, I’m not sure, but the the only way this ends and comes out positively is for it to stop,” he stated.