'It's hard': Nanaimo junior football team suffers 3rd theft in 2 years
The Vancouver Island Raiders junior football team is reeling from another expensive theft, after much-needed sports equipment was swiped in late May.
The theft occurred sometime between May 21 and May 22 at the team's equipment room at 110 Wall St. in Nanaimo.
Staff told police that they were at the property on the evening of May 21, and when they returned at 5 p.m. on May 22, the door to the building had been broken.
It's the third time the Raiders suffered a theft in the last three years.
Mounties say 20 Nike-brand footballs, five travel bags, two helmets, two football cleats, and an unknown number of team jerseys, girdles and game pants were stolen in the theft, as well as a range of tools and other equipment.
"These items are really noticeable," said Nanaimo RCMP reserve Const. Gary O'Brien.
"They've got the logo on the shirts, the sweaters, the girdles, the cleats, everything," he said. "We are hoping the public can help us and get it back."
"They don’t have a lot of money to work with, shoestring budget, and they do a lot for the community," O'Brien said of the Raiders.
Similar thefts occurred in August 2022, when an estimated $50,000 worth of equipment was stolen from the team's practice facility, and again in September 2021, when an estimated $15,000 worth of gear was swiped from its facility in Comox.
"[We] work so hard to do all this stuff and every time we turn around there's something… it just knocks us back down again," said Greg Peacock, board member of the Vancouver Island Raiders on Friday.
"It's hard, and it's hard to go back to the community," he said.
Police say there's currently no suspects or witnesses to the crime. Anyone with information is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada to see warm summer, wildfire risks loom for some regions: forecast
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
3 Israeli soldiers killed in Rafah booby trap explosion, media say, as offensive widens
The Gaza health ministry called on Wednesday for ensuring safe pathways for the immediate entry of fuel and medical aid to Rafah and northern Gaza, according to a statement carried by Hamas media quoting spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there's a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.