Nanaimo's downtown attraction sign that spells out the city's name was vandalized this week, representing at least the second time Maffeo Sutton Park's landmark feature has been targeted by criminals.
The fixture was vandalized on Monday, April 28, with the colourful 'O' painted white, obscuring its bright colours.
"The sign is a real point of pride for people in the city … people generally treat it quite well," said Charlotte Davis, parks and natural areas deputy director. "It gets graffitied from time to time, but because most people really like it, people tend to look after it and treat it with respect."
The sign was installed in 2021 at the cost of a little over $50,000 to the city. The coloured 'O' represents "the diversity of the 100,000 plus voices who have shaped and continue to shape" the city, according to a press release when it was installed. The city said it also represents "an inclusive Nanaimo, full of opportunity for generations to come."
In 2023, the sign was repainted for just over $4,000.
The colourful 'O' has been the subject of conspiracy theories in recent years, with critics claiming the colours signify a connection to the UN sustainable development goals, though the Nanaimo sign's circle has fewer bands of colour.
Davis said Monday's incident has been the largest case of vandalism impacting the sign. Fortunately, she said city staff and contractors were already in discussions about repainting it in the coming weeks, before the incident occurred.
"I had noticed that the paint was looking a little tired so we were going to have it re-painted anyway, we will just be moving that up here. We might be able to remove the white paint as it is and bring it back to the stripy [design], but we were planning on re-painting it and on a different theme actually as well…" she said. "The sign is a symbol for our community, which is why we want to keep it fresh and why we've been thinking how we can bring it back a little bit differently this year this time around, and do a different theme in particular on that 'O.'"
She added that the decision to change the design has nothing to do with the conspiracy theories.
"We were thinking with how popular the Canada flags are that we may well go for a red and white theme in time for Canada Day."
Davis said the city is forwarding the incident to the RCMP to investigate.
