The elders of the city have gotten honorary citizenship in the town of Whoville. It happened over the weekend and was discovered Monday morning by MLA Shirley Bond and her staff.
Each year, Bond and her team assemble a Christmas tea for the seniors of the area. When it started nine years ago, there were 75 participants. This year, 550 were registered for Tuesday's event. It was from them that a thief stole, during a seemingly random break-in at the MLA's office building.
"It's a labour of love, to give back to the incredible seniors in this community, so you can imagine our shock when we discovered that someone had entered the building," said a tearful Bond on Monday, after the police had departed to begin their investigation.
There were other units in the complex also broken into, it doesn't appear that Bond's office was a particular target, but it was there that the hundreds of door prizes were stored, intended for the seniors as Christmas gifts from the community as a thank-you for their long service to our community and culture.
"Not everything was taken, and I'm enormously grateful for that. This Grinch was choosy," Bond said, mustering a chuckle amidst her sadness.
The thief took from other places within the complex on 5th Avenue between Brunswick and Quebec Streets, and so could not carry off all the available booty. But it left Bond and her staff scrambling to replace the stolen gifts so every senior at the tea could still go home with a Christmas present.
"It's such an awkward spot to be in," said Bond, who stressed that she was not asking for a community campaign of giving. With only hours between the break-in and the tea event, it was imprudent to mount some kind of social media callout.
"We want to say a heartfelt thank-you to the donors and sponsors and supporters who are always so helpful, making this event happen for the seniors of the city," she said. It was to a few core supporters that Bond and her team turned to fill in the sudden need. She couldn't thank them enough, as well as the others who participated in the yearlong assembly of these door prizes.
"This is one of those things that matters most to me, that I do," said Bond, with its emphasis on respect for our elders at Christmastime and its all-inclusive, nonpolitical nature. "But someone did actually steal Christmas," from these supporters and seniors.
Bond also gave special thanks to the RCMP members who responded to the call.
"They were outstanding - incredibly sensitive," she said.
What those police officers do not have to investigate, Bond stressed, is the loss or compromise of any personal data or sensitive information. No government or personal files are handled in that way, she said, so even if someone got into the office with criminal intent, that kind of stuff would not fall into their hands.
