The storage shed lock was damaged during the break in. (submitted photo/Battlefords Girl Guides)

By Angela Brown

Theft reported

Battlefords Girl Guides storage shed broken into

Jun 13, 2023 | 4:19 PM

Group members from the Battlefords Girl Guides are upset after their storage shed containing many of the group’s camping and outdoor items was broken into Saturday night.

Camping gear, lanterns, tarps, some tents, a bow saw, an axe, propane cooktops, and other items were stolen from the shed, located in the Battlefords Industrial area.

A bag of snowshoes the Girl Guides borrowed from the wildlife federation were also taken.

“It’s frustrating because we’re a non-profit group that does events for children, for girls,” Guider Pamela Connor said. “We spend so much volunteer time working, planning and organizing. It’s upsetting that someone would want to steal from a non-profit.”

Fortunately, the Girl Guides had a lot of gear with them since they were away on a camping trip that day.

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“We do about one camp once a year,” Connor said. “We were actually camping on Saturday night luckily, because we had most of our most valuable [items] with us. We could have lost a whole lot more.”

She recalls taking back some items to the shed on Sunday, accompanied by her mother, who was helping her, and noticing the damage – the lock was broken and many items were stolen.

The total cost of the loss is valued at about $1,500.

“It’s so hard because the only way the Girl Guides group makes money is from selling cookies,” Connor said. “It takes a lot of cookie sales in order to buy these supplies.”

She adds if the group grows in the future, it will be hampered because many of the items that were stolen were needed when the club has larger numbers.

Connor said the club used to have more participants at one time but over the last couple of years, numbers have been dwindling. So the group actually has more supplies than it needs fortunately.

The Girl Guides have notified the RCMP of the break-in.

The lock to the shed has since been replaced. But the Girl Guides will need to look at a different plan to securely store their equipment and supplies for the future.

“It’s tough because there is not a lot of options for us to change, or to move the shed into someone’s yard, because not everyone can access it as easily,” Connor said.

The Girl Guides are asking anyone with information on the incident to advise them, so they can assist the RCMP with their investigation.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow