Muskoka’s Pride of Rosseau marina received some unwanted renovations last week after a Muskoka Lakes man destroyed the marina’s buildings with an excavator.
On July 21, officers from the Bracebridge Ontario Provincial Police detachment arrived on scene just after 9 p.m. The officers arrested the 59-year-old man operating the excavator and charged him with mischief over $5,000 under the Criminal Code of Canada.
You can’t make this up. A disgruntled, fired employee from a marina near our lake house snapped and destroyed the entire marina with an excavator. Does anyone have more information on what happened? #Muskoka pic.twitter.com/XcCLAVBFMy
— Don Tapscott (@dtapscott) July 27, 2022
A video of the incident posted online shows the excavator’s arm swinging back and forth through the marina’s dock store situated near the water’s edge. Splinters of wood fly through the air. In the video, it appears that at least a third of the building is destroyed. The OPP confirmed that there was significant damage to the building.
On Twitter, Sharon, Ont. native Declan Bondy posted photos of the crime scene, claiming that the perpetrator first tried to set several boats on fire before damaging at least two of the marina’s buildings with the excavator.
Community members online are speculating that the accused was a disgruntled employee of the marina. The Pride Marine Group did not respond to requests for comment.
The OPP wouldn’t confirm the accused’s identity, telling Cottage Life that it would not be releasing any further information at this time.
The Pride of Rosseau marina, which sits on the Joseph River between Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau, has been selling boats and serving gas to customers since 2005. The marina is owned by the Pride Marine Group, which operates nine other marinas throughout Ontario.
The accused will appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Bracebridge at a later date to answer the charge.