$50K reward offered for information on Halifax Public Gardens tree vandal

The Friends of the Public Gardens and the chair of the Public Gardens Foundation are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those who vandalized 32 trees at the Halifax gardens in July.

The information can be shared with Halifax Regional Police with a new tip line dedicated to the case:1-902-471-7877.

"Halifax residents are proud of their beautiful Public Gardens and these senseless acts of vandalism to the gardens have greatly impacted residents and galvanized them to help find those responsible for these crime," the two entities said in a joint news release on Thursday.

The trees were vandalized sometime between9 p.m. on July 25 and 7 a.m. on July 26. Some of the trees damaged were 200 years old. So far, four of the 32 damaged trees have been removed from the gardens and work is ongoing to try and save the rest.

"Replacement of the 32 trees is estimated to cost more than $350,000," the news release noted.

The reward was established through $25,000 in anonymous donations from "concerned citizens" to Friends of the Public Gardens and the other $25,000 came from Robert Pace, the chair of the Public Gardens Foundation, "to personally match public donations."

The rewardwill be in effect until Dec. 30, 2022.

Police want anyone with information, images or video related to the vandalism to get in touch via the dedicated hotline. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).