Metal lettering stolen from Valour Place, Edmonton charity serving veterans and first responders

Metal letters spelling "Valour Place" were stolen from the brick wall outside the Edmonton charity's building on 111 Avenue, the organization announced Tuesday.

Valour Place, which opened in 2012, operates as a free home away from home for members of the military, RCMP, first responders, and families of the fallen who travel to Edmonton for medical treatment. The theft has been reported to Edmonton Police Service.

Connie Erker, president of Valour Place, said the organization is asking the community for help locating the sign. "We hope whoever took the sign understands that the value of the metal as scrap is hardly worth the theft and chooses to return it," Erker said. "We are also asking anyone who may have seen something suspicious around the property, or who may have information about where the sign is now, to come forward."

Erker emphasized the symbolic importance of the sign to the community. "Someone may have taken a sign, but they took something that belongs to an entire community," she said. "Valour Place is a symbol of hope for families going through incredibly difficult times, and we would really like to see that symbol returned."

The theft follows a pattern of metal theft in Edmonton. In 2024, the Edmonton Law Courts building experienced vandalism including an axe attack on a door, along with recent glass panel replacements. Prior cases have included stolen military plaques in 2018 and memorial benches.