Some Grinch felled Kenora's Christmas tree with a chainsaw and OPP are on the case

Residents in Kenora are outraged after the northwestern Ontario city's Main Street Christmas tree was taken out by a chainsaw ahead of New Year's Eve.

Ontario Provincial Police say they learned of the incident shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday and are investigating it as mischief.

Hundreds of comments expressing frustration and anger over the Grinch-like act have been shared on social media.

"We are extremely disappointed, disheartened and saddened by this occurrence overnight in our community. City crews came in and removed the tree and further cleanup efforts will continue for this unplanned tree removal," the City of Kenora posted on its official Facebook page Sunday morning.

The tree was lit in mid-November and marked the 92nd annual tradition in the downtown core. This year's tree-lighting ceremony was set up by Tourism Kenora and Harbourtown Biz, and longtime resident Pippi Johnson said it has always been a big to-do.

"All ages come down and they're singing, there's conversation, there's a community feeling, and then all of a sudden the lights go on — wow! Christmas has begun," Johnson told CBC News on Tuesday.

She said that whenever her children come home for the holidays, they always want to see the city's tree first, so when she learned it had been severed, she was shocked.

"This is the sort of thing that we treasure in our community, this coming together in song, and conversation and so on," she said. "It was more than just a tree — it was striking at something very tender."

Johnson, an artist, said she's working on a painting of the fallen tree, with the scene set in the 1950s to mark its legacy in the community. She hasn't decided what she plans to do with the piece once it's finished, but said the creative process will make her feel better about the situation.

While it's still unclear who the culprit[s] behind the tree mischief may be — or whether they have green fur and termites in their smile — Johnson said she hopes they learn their lesson so the city can continue to enjoy its tradition.

"We want to keep that going. That's just so important in these troubled times in which we live, that we have community events, and we have sharing and so on," Johnson said.

"There will be a tree next year — that will be a great time."

Anyone with information about the Saturday night incident is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Anyone wanting to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.