COMOX VALLEY -- The investigation continues into a costly act of vandalism that caused damage to three electric vehicle charging stations in the Comox Valley.
According to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, $12,000 in parts and labour will be required to repair the stations at the Buckley Bay rest area.
Some of the machines were immediately repaired by using replacement cables that were on hand, but a few other cables are on order and are expected to arrive within two to four weeks.
A spokesperson for the ministry says while there are security cameras at the rest station, vandals also cut electricity to the site before moving onto the charging stations.
Colleen Hartwick owns an electric vehicle and frequently uses the rest area where the vandalism took place.
"What a pointless act of mischief because all you're doing is inconveniencing people who are already dealing with a series of inconveniences as electric vehicle infrastructure gets put in," Hartwick said.
"I was really impressed to see that by the end of [Wednesday night] that they already reinstalled the heads that were gone," she said.
The ministry considers this to be an isolated incident and indicates that work will be done to further vandal-proof the power boxes and the surveillance cameras.
