Rankin Inlet (Sep 06/06) - Lawreen Subgut grimaces as she cleans human feces from five different locations at the Kataujaq Day-Care Centre in Rankin Inlet. The day care has been a favourite target of vandals for the past few years.

Kataujaq Day-Care worker Lawreen Subgut reacts in disgust while cleaning human feces from the door knob to the centre's entrance. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

At first, the damage was relatively minor and the culprits were often after toys stored in locked boxes in the day-care yard. The damage has escalated during the past year, however, and day-care staff have had more than their fill of dealing with the situation.

Kataujaq Society vice-president Lyne Toner said the day care is being vandalized about once a month.

She said staff members clean up minor incidents, such as broken glass, play tires being dug up and logs rolled out of place.

"We've been reporting the more serious stuff to police, such as having our windows broken, the gates being ripped apart and holes being smashed in the walls and the fence," said Toner.

"We used to have two locked toy boxes in the yard, but they didn't have bottoms to them.

"After one box was destroyed, Public Works was kind enough to put a sturdy bottom on the other."

The vandals have now reached an all-time low, with staff members coming to work to find human feces smeared around the property. The feces was spread on doors and door knobs, the latch to the toy box, numerous places on the fence and the downstairs emergency exit. Toner said the emergency exit is constantly being used as a toilet by neighbourhood vandals.

"Some mornings the smell of urine is so strong in the doorway that it turns the stomachs of our workers.

"This was the second time this year we had feces smeared around the day care.

"Not only is it disgusting for staff to clean, but there can also be serious health concerns.

"People in the community have to look out for each other and not be afraid to stand up to these kids.