Barrels of no fun
Talo Cafebar being targeted by vandals
For some unknown reason, vandals are having a barrel of fun vandalizing a Glace Bay business over the past couple if months.
Angela Houston, owner of The Talo Cafébar on Commercial Street, said over the past couple months culprits have tipped over their 45- gallon cooking oil barrels behind the restaurant four times, causing a a devastating mess each time.
“The first couple times it was alarming because some of the neighbouring businesses thought it might have been a (fuel) oil leak which would have been very serious,” Houston said.
As a result the Glace Bay Volunteer Fire Department was called to check the situation out.
“Then when it happened again we got a little suspicious and then it happened again and again.”
Other businesses in the area use the same types of oil barrels but no other barrels have been disturbed.
“We feel we are being targeted,” Houston added.
The barrels may have contained as much as 10 gallons of cooking oil in the earlier incidents, which would require some effort to knock over.
Houston said this has been upsetting, as the many people on the Talo team are working hard to make sure the business stays as part of the downtown.
“It’s a lot of work for our staff to prepare the restaurant in the morning and then the staff and my mom — who is 64 years old — are required to go out and clean up the oil, which is a major distraction and disheartening.”
Sandy O’Neil, general manager of Talo, said the last two incidents occurred back to back. he staff came on on Aug. 27 to find an oil barrel knocked over. One barrel was empty and the second had about 10 litres of oil in it.
“It’s enough to create a huge mess.”
After that, he bought chains and secured the barrels to a dumpster.
“When we came into work the next morning the mess was waiting for us again,” he said. “Whoever ever did it the second time spent some time getting the barrel loose because they broke the chains off and tipped it over again.”
The oil spread over a large area, as the ground is sloped there, allowing the oil to flow down to the curb.
O’Neil said they purchased absorbents to clean the mess up properly and it was timeconsuming.
“It took about five hours to clean it up each time and that’s with multiple people helping,” he said. “I’ve got the blood blisters all over my hands from cleaning it up.”
O’Neil said now he has the oil barrels in a cubby hole between buildings and screwed in a board making it impossible to get the barrels out without considerable effort.
“In order to do it again, they’d have to remove a big piece of plywood to get to them.”
The oil barrels are picked up by a sanitation truck once a month. O’Neil said now he will have to disassemble the board every time the truck comes.
“I’ll have to go outside with the drill and take everything off and remove the barrels and then put the barrels back and put the wall back in again. Eventually I’ll get contractors in to build something to make it all a little easier.”
O’Neill said they don’t use a lot of oil at the restaurant.
“Our meals are ones like panfried haddock with mashed potatoes. Oil isn’t something we use a lot of but over time it can build up.”
O’Neil said he did report the vandalism to the Cape Breton Regional Police Service.
“We have a couple officers who are regulars here and they were going to bring it to their morning briefing so officers would be aware and keep an eye on the restaurant and do extra patrols. “
Houston said she posted the incidents of vandalism on Facebook, asking people for help in identify the individual or individuals responsible.
“I thought it was pretty important to post that because people should be aware these kinds of things are happening in the community. It takes community effort to change that type of behavior. “
Houston is hoping if anyone has information on whoever did this, they will contact Talo or the police.
In speaking out, she hopes it helps prevent similar incidents from happening to any other business owners downtown.
“It’s sad because there are many groups like bayitforward and business owners who are trying really hard to make a difference,” she said.
“Something like this causes a lot of strain and puts a damper on some of the positive things happening.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the CBRPS at 902-563-5151 or Crime Stoppers 902-562-8477.