‘Stealing from children’: Preschool’s play structure pilfered

A Manitoba preschool is upset that its play structure was stolen by thieves. CTV’s Jeff Keele has more.

A Manitoba preschool is looking for answers after thieves made off with the building’s playground structure.

When Angie Izzard arrived Friday morning to open up her Headingley preschool, Guiding Minds Montessori, she was in disbelief.

“Why would you even think about stealing from children?” said Izzard

First, she noticed a portion of the fence around the outdoor play area was busted open and damaged. After a closer inspection of the grounds, an even bigger surprise: the wooden play structure, which was bolted to the ground, was gone.

Izzard believes someone rammed through the fence with a vehicle, made a few cuts through the wood stilts, and hauled the entire play structure away in the middle of the night.

“Like, who would? How? How would someone steal a structure? It was not a small structure; it was a large structure,” she said.

Izzard says the children are heartbroken and asking questions.

“Like, ‘Did a bad man take it? Like what happened?” said Izzard. “You know, we’re just kind of explaining to them someone came into our yard and they weren’t respectful or kind or thinking of others.”

Fifty-three kids from 18 months to kindergarten age attend Guiding Minds, and they weren’t the only ones upset by the theft. William Aitken’s three-year-old is a student there.

“It’s crazy to think that somebody has the audacity to come to a children’s centre, a children’s school for little kids and steal their toys,” said Aitken

A GoFundMe is in the works to get a replacement play structure in place as soon as possible.

“So then the kids can get their toys and actually enjoy the summer as opposed to having to wait for an insurance claim to go through.” Said Aitken

Mounties say they are investigating.

“When the RCMP came today and he saw, he goes, ‘I’ve seen things, but this is shocking,” said Izzard.