Tribute to late 11-year-old Barrie boy vanishes again
A street sign in Barrie, renamed to honour 11-year-old Chase McEachern's legacy after he died in 2006, has gone missing again from an alleyway at the heart of the city's waterfront.
"It's an honour to have a street named after Chase. When we come home, we look at it, and we smile," said John McEachern, Chase's father.
The sign above Bayfield Street, known as the Chase McEachern sign, was replaced in March after it went missing in the winter and has since vanished again.
Chase died from heart complications after suddenly collapsing during gym class at his Prince of Wales Public School.
The boy's death inspired buildings across the country to have defibrillators on site to prevent similar tragedies.
Thanks to the strong campaign efforts of Chase's family, the street in downtown Barrie was named after him.
"It's something that I've very proud of. And I know his mom Dorothy is very proud of it, and his brother is very proud," said McEachern.
The family was upset to hear that the sign for his street had been missing multiple times since January and, most recently, since Easter weekend.
"I called Sergio [Morales]. And he goes, I didn't want to tell you, John. I know it would disturb you. It does," shared McEachern.
"At the end of the day, the goal is to honour Chase's memory, get the sign replaced, and make sure that the impact he had in this community and continues to have is known by Barrie residents," said Morales, a city councillor.
Morales said it costs the City less than $200 to replace the sign each time. Neither Chase's father nor the City have filed a police report.
"We're aware now that this is taking place. We'll make sure that our folks who work in that part of the city are aware of it and can keep an eye on that sign and keep it where it belongs," said Peter Leon, spokesperson with the Barrie Police Services.
Morales submitted a work order three weeks ago for another sign, so it's a matter of time before it gets replaced.
City officials say they will closely monitor the area, but the reason the sign keeps disappearing remains unknown.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.