Happy Campers in Colwood were disappointed on Wednesday after vandals rendered the bus they use for field trips unusable.
Lucy-Ann Smith, the owner of the daycare centre, told Black Press Media that 32 kids ages 5 through 12 who use the bus for field trips had their Aug. 14 trip to Langford Lake cancelled due to the damage discovered that morning.
Smith said the site manager for the bus, which they park at the Church of the Advent on Mount View Avenue, arrived to work and found the vehicle had been broken into via the emergency roof exit, and the sprinkler system had been set off inside the bus, rendering it unusable.
“Today was too late to try and figure it out,” Smith said, adding that staff will try to keep the kids who had been destined for the lake busy with a Slip N Slide and face painting.
West Shore RCMP confirmed officers are investigating a report of a daycare bus being vandalized near the 500-block of Mount View Avenue. Since the report came during the morning, Const. Nancy Saggar said officers were still early in the investigation and did not have further details.
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Smith said this is the second time the bus they park at the Church of the Advent has been “messed with.”
A few weeks ago, she said the back door of the bus was left unlocked and they believe at least one person entered the vehicle because the door was then left open, though no damage was observed.
She said the vandalized bus is being detailed and field trips are expected to resume as planned Thursday, with a trip to Iroquois Park in Sidney.
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