Work is underway to remove "anti-government" graffiti from the front doors and steps of Halifax City Hall, after somebody targeted the national historic site with yellow spray paint late Sunday night or early Monday morning.

City spokeswoman Tiffany Chase said commissionaires found the graffiti when they arrived around 7 a.m. and called police.

"Generally, some anti-government words were used," Chase said. "Some of it didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, but just generally talking about where do your tax dollars go and some profanity as well."

The spray paint covered a "significant portion" of the front entrance doors and top two stone steps, she said. The wooden doors had recently been refinished as part of the ongoing restoration of Halifax City Hall.

Chase said city staff have hired a contractor to determine "what product they might be able to use to safely remove this graffiti from the wood without damaging it." A graffiti removal company has also been hired to work on the stone steps.

A 'very unfortunate location'

The goal is to remove the spray paint as soon as possible, she said.

"We're looking out onto a large public space and we certainly don't want to have that on there any longer than necessary," Chase said.

"Certainly no one wants to see graffiti happen anywhere in our city, but on the front entrance of our City Hall is a very unfortunate location."

Halifax Regional Police are investigating. Chase said City Hall has cameras that capture the front entrance, and staff will hand any relevant footage over to police.

City Hall is one of Nova Scotia's oldest and largest public buildings, according to the city's website. The three-storey stone structure was built between 1887 and 1890, and was designated a national historic site in 1997.