Vandals hit Sudbury Finnish cemetery

The trustee of the Long Lake Finnish Cemetery in Sudbury says he's frustrated with people dumping garbage in and near the site.

Veikko Kivikangas said the problem started about three weeks ago, when piles of discarded brush and branches were brought in and left alongside the approach to the cemetery. Bags of garbage and lawn waste were left as well.

Kivikangas says there used to be a chain across the entry road, but it didn't pose much of an obstacle.

They have an axe and they chopped the post and the locks and everything down and just came over here, he said.

What I found here later [were] broken beer bottles and wine bottles.

It's taken hundreds of hours to restore the historic site, Kivikangas said, adding hes frustrated with the extra work created by the vandals.

I don't have no time, he said. I got work at home and other matters to [attend to].

Visitors are welcome to the cemetery site, but people can take their garbage to the dump, Kivikangas said.