This year, the celebration of the Ukrainian New Year was overshadowed by the theft of the brass plaque, which was considered the national historic site of the Labour Temple in Winnipeg.
Despite the theft, people nevertheless gathered to celebrate the holiday. Glenn Michalchuk, the president of the Ukrainian Labour Temple, explained that the theft took place on Friday night, just on New Year's Eve on the Julian calendar.
"It's really disappointing, it really did hurt people's feelings," said Michalchuk. "These are part of the cultural significance of our city and the contributions our city has made to history."
The man also added that it was probably not easy to steal the plank because it was bolted to the stand near the entrance doors of the temple.
"It would take more than one person to move, it's a very heavy plaque," Glenn explained. "It would have been a difficult operation."
The Police reported that this was not the only theft that occurred in the new year. Together with Glenn, the Police made up their minds that the purpose of the thefts was to sell the metal.
"It would probably have some significant value if someone was able to break it up and melt it down," Michalchuk said. "For a city that sometimes struggles in terms of its image, to have things like this, which are really petty for the amount of money that someone would be able to extract by selling the plaque for some scrap metal, it's really disappointing."
At the moment, the Winnipeg Police are making every effort to investigate the crime. A police spokesman, Const. Jay Murray, asks all residents of the city to immediately report if they suddenly notice suspicious people or stolen things.
Michalchuk stated that the temple will change the plaque because it is of big importance for all the community.
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