City unimpressed with Vancouver park bench plaque prank

A sticker resembling a memorial plaque is seen on a park bench in Vancouver in March of 2022. (Image credit: Facebook/Jack-Schitt)

Vancouver — Warning: This story contains profanity.

Stickers mimicking memorial plaques were stuck onto benches in and around Vancouver's Stanley Park earlier this month, and the park board is not amused by the anonymous social media campaign to bring laughter to passersby.

From a distance, the yellow stickers might almost be mistaken for legitimate bronze plaques, which are only installed according to a strict set of policies and protocols. The location and text must be approved by the park board, and a donation of $7,500 is required to secure a 10-year term.

But upon closer inspection, the temporary and tongue-in-cheek nature of the "plaques" sticker slapped onto benches at Prospect Point, Beaver Lake, and the Seawall becomes apparent.

They are all dedicated to the memory of Jack Schitt. There is no date of birth or death, and he is described in profane but affectionate terms. A QR code takes anyone curious enough to scan it to a Facebook page that shows the stickers affixed to benches on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

"Jack is dearly loved and is missed by all. He lived his life fully and made it his life and now his legacy to make people laugh. He believed that if we all took ourselves less seriously we could all live a happier life," a post on the page reads.

"He wanted to meet as many people as he could in life that way he could honestly tell them that they knew Jack Schitt. He imagined one day if enough people realized they knew Jack Schitt there would be less judging on the planet and less assholes."

A spokesperson for the Vancouver Park Board confirmed they are aware of these stickers, and that this "memorial" is not sanctioned by the city.

"Our policy is to remove them, as any defacing of statues, memorials, park equipment or infrastructure is counted as vandalism and will be addressed and reported to (Vancouver Police Department)," she writes in an email, adding this is done in order to "honour those to whom benches have been dedicated by their loved ones."

CTV News has also reached out to "Jack Schitt" on Facebook, but did not receive a reply.