Statue

Residents in Memramcook were shaken after the statue of Père Camille Lefebvre was found pulled down from its pedestal near the former Institute of Memramcook.

The RCMP say the incident happened sometime between 7:35 p.m. Tuesday and 8:10 a.m. Wednesday at the Monument‑Lefebvre site on Centrale Street.

Police say an unknown individual or individuals pushed the monument off its base.

Mayor Maxime Bourgeois said he discovered the damage Wednesday morning while walking to work and immediately contacted the landowner and the RCMP.

He said the statue was lying face‑down and that seeing it in that condition was upsetting for the community.

“It was not only an important figure for Memramcook for founding Collège Saint‑Joseph, the first post‑secondary education institution that served Acadians in the area, but also for Acadie as a whole,” Bourgeois said.

The mayor said the landowner arranged for a crane to remove the statue later that afternoon and is storing it while repairs are made to the damaged pedestal.

He said the statue itself did not appear to be severely damaged, though the condition of smaller details such as Lefebvre’s glasses is still unknown.

Bourgeois said his first reaction was that the statue had been vandalized.

“My initial reaction was vandalism, not necessarily somebody that was trying to steal it. It was heart‑wrenching to think that somebody would do such an act just to do it,” he said.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed suspicious activity or has surveillance footage from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning to contact the Sackville RCMP at 506‑364‑5023.

Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

Bourgeois said the reaction from residents shows how important the statue is to the community and hopes it can be restored and put back in place once repairs are complete.