'Skoden' graffiti spree means expensive blasting ahead for Ministry of Transportation

The Ministry of Transportation will have to utilize expensive blasting techniques to remove multiple incidents of graffiti along two highways near Sudbury.

The word "skoden" was written 50 times on Highway 17 between Sudbury and Espanola, Ontario Provincial Police said in a press release, and again on Highway 144 between Highway 17 and Chelmsford.

The word is a slang term popular in Indigenous culture that means "Let's go then."

Carmel McDonald, a constable with the OPP, told CBC News that graffiti doesn't interfere with the safety of motorists, but it can be a distraction.

"Some sections of the actual roadway, some rock faces, rock cuts, and then safety devices...guide rails, steel beams, and jersey barriers, have been sprayed with this word," McDonald said.

"I believe the MTO is going to wait and see if [the paint] is water based and if it comes off. If it doesn't then they'll remove it. But it doesn't interfere with any safety of the motorists," she said.

McDonald also said there was construction equipment that had been spray painted with "skoden," however these incidents were in Greater Sudbury Police Services' jurisdiction.

If a suspect is caught they would be charged with mischief, McDonald said, adding there wereno suspects at this time.

It has also appeared on Sudbury's water tower downtown. Police are still looking for the person responsible for that incident.