Pole-scaling thief takes GM dealer's maple leaf

A massive Canadian flag that's been flying over a General Motors dealership on Vancouver Island for decades has disappeared.

The flag, which measures 30 feet by 15 feet, didn't just come loose and blow away. Employees at Laird Wheaton Chevrolet-Buick-GMC found metal shavings around the base of the pole, suggesting it was the work of an ambitious, well-prepared thief. Pulleys 20 feet from the ground appeared to have been cut with a grinder, General Manager Ross Barnard told TV station CHEK.

"This has never happened before," Barnard said. "We're concerned about theft in the area regarding catalytic converters, but the last thing I would have ever thought is that someone would scale up that pole and steal the flag."

Replacing the flag would cost about $1,500, Barnard said. The dealership's surveillance cameras didn't capture what happened.

Since the theft, the store has been hearing from passersby who were sad to see the empty pole and had used the flag to see which direction the wind was blowing.

"That's an iconic flag. It's a landmark," Barnard said. "This is probably the only one of this size on Vancouver Island."