One person is facing charges after 80 percent of the window panes on Calgary’s iconic Peace Bridge were shattered over the weekend, causing nearly $1 million in damage.
The vandal attack on the 70 panels took place around 4am on Sunday, July 24.
Witnesses reported a man using a hammer, rebar and bricks to break the glass as he walked from one side of the bridge to the other, pushing a shopping cart with him as he went.
Police said Wednesday that Brian Douglas Jensen, 58, was charged in connection with the latest vandalism, as well as a separate incident on June 18, when a window on the same bridge was broken at about 1:10 a.m.
Jensen has been charged with two counts of damage to property over $5,000, disturbing the peace, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, breach of a probation order and breach of a bylaw for illegal dumping in a park.
He is due in court on Friday, August 5, 2022.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Calgary Police Service’s non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers.
PEACE BRIDGE VANDALISM COSTS CALGARY
Damage to the glass lining of Calgary’s iconic Peace Bridge on Sunday, July 24, 2022. The bridge, built a decade ago in 2012, is so frequently vandalized that city officials recently launched a new campaign aimed at reducing intentional damage by construction.
According to city officials, an average of six panels break each year, and it costs about $80,000 a year to remove and replace the broken panels. This does not include the cost of the panels themselves, as the city is using replacement panels provided when the bridge was originally built.
Recently, the city has been exploring the possibility of using alternative materials other than glass for window panes.
“We know that the Peace Bridge is an iconic artistic structure in our city, and we know that Calgarians are upset by the vandalism and damage caused to something that is meant to be enjoyed by all,” said Acting Liana Deegan said Monday.
Anyone who witnesses vandalism on the Peace Bridge is asked to call 911.
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