Manitoba

Alleged poppy box thieves arrested by Winnipeg police

Two men, aged 22 and 25, have been arrested in connection to a series of poppy box thefts which happened last month.

Undetermined amount of money swiped from 7 boxes around Winnipeg

Seven donation boxes were reported stolen from Winnipeg businesses last month. (CBC)

Two men, aged 22 and 25, have been arrested in connection to a series of poppy box thefts which happened last month.

Seven poppy boxes were reported stolen in November. The first box was taken from a business on McPhillips Street on Nov. 3. The next day, two boxes were stolen from businesses on St. Mary's Road, one was a Subway restaurant. 

The Subway poppy box was filled with tips the staff wanted to donate to the Royal Canadian Legion’s annual fundraiser.

The legion says the money goes toward assisting veterans, funding medical equipment, research, home services, long-term care facilities and more.

Constable Eric Hofley said the police don't know exactly how much money was stolen.

"It's never known until the end of the day how much was actually in the box, and of course nobody had the opportunity to find out," said Hofley.

Both men have been charged with seven counts of theft, one of the men has also been charged with failure to comply with a probation order.