[MSN] Canada. Monumental theft. Workers at a North York metal fabricating company are devastated after the bizarre weekend theft of their mascot "Atlas, " a 4-metre-high statue.

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Monumental theft 
By CHRIS DOUCETTE, TORONTO SUN

Who stole metal fabricator's Atlas statue -- and what for? 

Workers at a North York metal fabricating company are devastated after the
bizarre weekend theft of their mascot "Atlas," a 4-metre-high statue. 

The massive copper statue of the muscular Greek god holding up the Globe was
bolted to a pedestal at the rear of PM Designs at 330 Oakdale Rd., looking
down on the northbound lanes of Hwy. 400, when employees left Friday at 7
p.m. 

But when owner and CEO Mike Gimenez drove into the parking lot about 8 a.m.
yesterday, the 225-kilo statue was gone. 

"I'm totally disappointed," Gimenez said a few hours after his shocking
discovery. "This company is a team and Atlas is part of our team." 

The statue was handcrafted about six years ago and Gimenez said it
symbolized the hard work he, his family and his employees have put into
expanding the business over nearly two decades. 

"The Globe represented my dream of building this into an international
company," Gimenez said. 

Aside from art pieces, the custom architectural metal fabricators also
design and build high-end furniture, railings and door handles. 

The missing statue is valued at nearly $200,000, but Gimenez said that to
him, the piece is priceless. 

"It would take 18 months to handcraft a replacement and it wouldn't be the
same," he said. "I don't care about the insurance money. I just want the
statue back. There's only one Atlas." 

It's likely it took several people several hours and a big truck to steal
the statue. The thieves unbolted Atlas' feet from the pedestal and
disconnected the aircraft cables that were holding it down. 

Toronto Police said missing sections of barbed wire along the top of a
three-metre-high fence on the south side of PM Design suggested the statue
was hoisted out of the company's gated lot into the parking lot of an
adjoining business. 

The statue is not solid copper, so it probably wasn't taken for its metal
content. 

"Somebody really wanted it," said Gimenez, who is hoping someone will see
Atlas and call police. 

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the statue is asked to call 31
Division detectives at 416-808-3104 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS. 

http://torontosun.com/