City contractors lifted tombstones back onto their pedestals at Mount View Cemetery in Galt on Wednesday afternoon after they were discovered vandalized over the Victoria Day weekend.
At least five gravesites were damaged after the heavy monuments were pushed to the ground.
Workers at the site said when they came to work Sunday, they were shocked to see the damage, calling the act disgusting.
"It doesn't happen very often at all," said Andrew, one of the maintenance workers at the cemetery. "It was pretty shocking to see that someone would do this, and I think they used the construction equipment to knock them over."
Waterloo Regional Police Services said in a press release on Sunday that three Cambridge youths, ages 15, 16, and 17 years of age, were charged with motor vehicle theft and mischief over $5,000.
"On May 19, 2024, at approximately 7:35 a.m., police responded to Blenheim Road for reports of a possible theft of construction equipment," read the release.
"Officers arrived in the area and located the abandoned piece of construction equipment within Mount View Cemetery. Officers had also discovered that tombstones had been pushed over."
With the help of the canine unit, police were able to locate the three individuals who were still on cemetery grounds.
Police later said they didn't believe the construction equipment was used to knock over the tombstones.
Allison Jones, communications manager for the City of Cambridge confirmed to CambridgeToday in an email that work would be ongoing today to fix and clean up the gravesites.
Jones could not confirm a cost for fixing any damage associated with the vandalism.
