The couple is from the Toronto area but married in Canmore, Alta. After the wedding, they drove to Vancouver with some friends to spend a few days in a city they had “heard so much about” before heading to Los Angeles. On Monday morning, they arrived too early to check in to the hotel, so the couple and their friends decided to rent some bikes and ride around Stanley Park. When they returned to their rental car, they discovered that everything was gone. “There’s obviously a systemic issue with the city that needs to be addressed,” said newlywed Mac Whale. They stole six suitcases, backpacks, electronics and family jewelry. “I’m very worried, I’m angry and I’m at a loss for words to be honest,” said Whalen’s wife, Kaitlin Harnadek. What shocked the victims the most is that no one in town seemed surprised by the crime. “So why isn’t there a sign? Why isn’t there a city-sponsored camera?’ Whalen asked about parking at the park. The victims seemed resigned to the idea that they would probably never see any of the items again. This includes a locket that Whalen gave to his grandmother when his grandfather died. “He wore it for 15 years after he died, and he never took it off, and then he gave it to Caitlin right before he died,” Whalen said. The loss is still being tallied, but at least $25,000 worth of goods were stolen, and friends have set up a GoFundMe page. Instead of touring the city, the couple spent most of Tuesday at the passport office because they were supposed to go to California for their honeymoon on Wednesday, but their passports were taken away.
