SUNDRE – A co-owner of the Sundre Car Wash said he was hurt after discovering graffiti that had been spray-painted on top of one of the business’ signs intended as a greeting to those who’ve made the trek into town.
Police are investigating mischief and have sought the public’s help identifying a suspect who during the early morning hours of Friday, April 11 was captured on CCTV spray-painting “go home poop” on a sign welcoming people to Sundre that features Punjabi script.
Harry Singh, who co-owns the independent car wash and local U-Haul location alongside business partner Kulwant Sarai, said they have since acquiring the operation from the previous owners made substantial investments in modernizing and improving the facility such as upgrading the outdated coin-operated system with a tap-and-go option.
“We spent a lot of money on it,” he said. “Now, it’s fully upgraded.”
And while providing the local U-Haul service does not generate much revenue, he said they recognize the importance of having it available to the community.
“We try to help all Sundrians,” he told the Albertan.
So even though they live in Calgary, Singh said they are committed to their business and the community.
“We try to give our best.”
Even in small towns like Sundre, “there are some businesses which are owned by immigrants, and they want to work hard,” he said.
“That’s why it hurt us a lot,” he said about the graffiti on a sign that was placed with good intentions.
While police had reported the incident occurred at approximately 12:45 a.m., Singh said the timestamp on their CCTV footage was roughly 2:45 a.m.
Asked what the portion of the sign that is written in Punjabi script reads, he said, “We welcome you on reaching Sundre.”
“It’s a warm welcome,” he added.
Yet despite the discriminatory graffiti, Singh was also heartened by the prompt outpour of support from the vast majority of the community.
“I know 99 per cent of people are with us, on the Facebook page also and everywhere,” he said.
“I am thankful to the Town of Sundre and nearby towns and nearby area people living in the villages that they are supporting us,” he said, adding most people recognize right from wrong.
“People (have been) coming and giving us donuts and saying, ‘Sorry that this happened to you guys,’” he said.
“I totally appreciate that.”
Seeing signs featuring different languages in a multicultural country like Canada, where the two official languages are English and French, is quite common.
Having recently visited Montreal, Singh said the French language was prominently featured over English everywhere.
“We don’t have any problem (with that),” he said.
“If somebody has problem from us, they can come and talk with us, we can try to explain them what’s the issue.”
Singh added the matter had been brought to the RCMP’s attention.
“They said there is zero tolerance for the violation or vandalism.”
