Elizabeth Fry Society considering options after signage taken

An organization serving vulnerable women in Saskatoon is considering changing its vehicle signage after a logo disappeared from the organization’s van.

“Our magnetic logos, one of them was taken off the side of the vehicle,” said Kayleigh Lafontaine, executive director for the Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan.

She said it’s possible the sign was either removed by someone or fell off sometime Tuesday while the vehicle was parked at the society’s office.

“(The signs falling off) doesn’t happen very regularly,” Lafontaine added as a caveat. “These are strong magnets that are meant for signage for vehicles.”

The executive director became aware of the sign’s disappearance after a concerned member of the public called the organization around 4 p.m. last Friday. The caller informed Lafontaine that a grey van with the signage on it had been problematic, driving around in their area.

Lafontaine said she contacted Saskatoon police immediately after learning one of the signs was gone. The vehicle was located by police shortly after and the sign was retrieved.

“(The police) had no concerns so they did not feel there was a need to press any charges at the time,” Lafontaine said.

“That was not somebody that works for us, that was not somebody that we’re affiliated with. We don’t know if that’s somebody that’s used our services before.”

Lafontaine is thankful the situation ended in a timely manner and there was apparently no sinister intent. However, she was initially worried the signs had been taken as a way to lure vulnerable women or individuals.

“I was very concerned,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of community reach out to us with the same sort of concerns.”

The Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan works to serve criminalized and at-risk women and LGBTQ2S individuals in the province.

“We’re here to serve the vulnerable population,” said Lafontaine, whose organization offers services like court support, in-prison services and community outreach. It’s hoping to extend its programming to include housing and more youth-focused resources.

Lafontaine said steps will likely be explored to prevent any similar situations from happening in the future.

“We will probably be looking at a more permanent signage for the vehicle instead of something that can be tampered with,” she explained.