Over 60 metal vases stolen from Pictou County cemetery
Posted Apr 16, 2026 12:54:06 PM.
Last Updated Apr 16, 2026 12:54:11 PM.
Dozens of vases have been reported stolen to the RCMP after thefts from a Pictou County cemetery.
Police said they are looking into the thefts of over 60 metal vases from headstones in a cemetery in Sylvester, N.S. On April 4, Mounties went to Heatherdale Memorial Cemetery on Alma Road, where they uncovered the vases had been taken sometime between March 21 and April 4.
Staff at the cemetery confirmed to officers that the vases were not removed by employees during maintenance.
The vases are usually made out of aluminum, bronze or stainless steel and are to hold flowers on top of headstones. They’re made out of metal to withstand the elements.
Officials are asking anyone with information about the case or who needs to report a missing item they believe is connect to contact the Pictou County District RCMP.
Metal theft a problem across Canada
Metal items like plaques or copper wiring have been the target of thieves across the country who can resell the items at scrap yards.
Law-abiding scrap yard owners are warning of the patchwork provincial laws operating across the country. Although New Brunswick requires dealers to ask anyone trying to sell copper for identification, no such rules exist in neighbouring Nova Scotia or Quebec.
The issue has been plaguing communities across Canada, so much so that it prompted Connie Cody, the Conservative member for Cambridge, Ont., to push for a crackdown on scrap yards that buy stolen copper wire.
In March, she introduced a private member’s bill in the House of Commons that would make it a crime for scrap metal dealers to trade, traffic or have for sale any scrap metal that was known to be stolen, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and a jail sentence of up to two years.
