The Saint Croix Courier

Jim Cornall/Courier

Workers in Calais cover some four-foot high graffiti aimed at Canadians Thursday. The message caused a stir as people gathered to look at the bright orange anti-Canadian slogan on the wall across the St. Croix River.

Was it because of our opposition to LNG?

By KATHY BOCKUS

CALAIS – Was it a lover’s tiff? A cross-border argument?

What prompted someone to write "F... You Canad" — that’s right, they misspelled "Canada" or ran out of paint — in bright orange paint on the retaining wall behind the Downeast Heritage Museum in Calais?

The large letters were clearly visible to people in St. Stephen across the St. Croix River and caused a bit of a stir when office workers and passersby noticed them Thursday morning.

"It’s definitely nothing personal," Calais City Manager Linda Pagels was quick to assure.

Pagels said she and Jim Porter, assistant to the city manager and community development, had taken immediate action once notified about the graffiti.

"People with scrub brushes are on their way," said Pagels.

However, instead of being washed off, the graffiti was covered up with large blue tarps at lunchtime.

Pagels said it was fortunate that the city had foreseen the possibility of vandals using the wall and had the wall specially treated during construction to make it easier to remove paint.

"That will wash right off," said Pagels. She said the area where the vandalism took place receives a lot of abuse, which was why the city decided to be prepared for the eventuality of graffiti.

She joked and said maybe the vandal had had a lover’s tiff with a girlfriend or boyfriend in St. Stephen and recalled there were plenty of cross border rivalries when she was in high school locally.

"It’s nothing personal. We’re sorry. It’s coming right off," said Pagels.