The Exploration Place in Prince George reports it is deeply concerned about a rise in vandalism and break-ins at its site in Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.
The science centre and musuem highlighted a recent increase in property crime in a Facebook post, noting a series of incidents over the past few months.
Among the incidents reported:
- Security gates at the loading bay have been cut into twice
- Umbrellas have been stolen from the site
- The Fort George Railway Station has been broken into “a handful” of times
- The School House has been broken into twice
- The community garden has been vandalized three times
Over the weekend of July 12–13, the same individual allegedly cut into the loading bay, breached the garden fence, destroyed a trolley and attempted to access the train shed that houses the Little Prince miniature train.
Executive director Alyssa Leier said the recent spike in incidents has had a major impact on the museum and its operations, with staff struggling to estimate the total damage.
“I’ve been at the Exploration Place for about 12 years and never during that time have we had so many incidents so close together,” said Leier. “If I look at just the last couple of months, we’ve had our loading dock broken into twice, and each time it’s caused approximately $20,000 in damage — for just a few dollars’ worth of scrap inside.”
Leier added that each break-in at the community garden has caused between $1,000 and $3,000 in damage.
Beyond the monetary toll, the organization has also suffered significant historical losses. Leier told The Citizen that multiple historic artifacts have been destroyed.
“Over the weekend, we had an old train car that was completely destroyed,” she said. “The individual or individuals trying to remove it through the cut fence got it stuck on the wire and pulled so hard they destroyed the wood. We’re talking about items that are quite old — they’re not always the strongest.”
Leier recalled another major loss that occurred two years ago when someone smashed a window and stole an artifact from a display case. That item was never recovered.
She said the trend of crime in and around the park has persisted since then.
“These types of crimes hit non-profits like the Exploration Place especially hard,” Leier said. “When you have vandalism, break-ins or theft, that’s money that’s essentially pulled from what we can offer the community.
“Even with an insurance claim, deductibles are high. Often, it’s not even worth filing a claim. In our case, the deductible for the loading bay is $5,000, and that has to come out of our budget. It wasn’t accounted for. It’s very unfortunate.”
Leier said the spike in crime has also left staff feeling uneasy.
“There’s been an increase in activity in the park after hours, and some staff access the building early in the morning or late at night,” she said. “We’ve talked about not having anyone enter the building alone in the dark. There are people wandering around doing things they shouldn’t be, and staff are starting to feel unsafe.”
Leier said the issue reflects a broader trend across BC.
“There’s been an increase in crime levels throughout cities in British Columbia, and even across Canada,” she said. “It’s a huge problem province-wide. And for a not-for-profit, it’s incredibly frustrating. We’re trying to improve our finances and offer the public great programs and exciting new features, but these incidents set us back and make it hard to move forward.”
She encouraged the community to show support in any way they can.
“Community support means everything,” said Leier. “People can support us by taking part in our programs, visiting the facility, purchasing a membership or simply being an advocate for our work. If you see our posts on social media, share them. If you hear about exciting things happening at the Exploration Place, spread the word and amplify our voice.”
Those interested in supporting The Exploration Place can donate at: https://theexplorationplace.com/exploration-place/support/#donate
