A bilingual no-growth advocate apparently has targeted and torched forklifts and heavy equipment to discourage housing construction in Chambly, east of Montreal.

The Richelieu-Saint-Laurent municipal police force is pursuing an environment-conscious arsonist who intentionally sets the fires at night and often leaves a handwritten message in French and English demanding a cessation of construction work in a community that is experiencing significant housing growth.

Equipment of general contractor Benvas Excavation Inc of Varennes, Québec has been among the targets. Benvas Excavation employs about 100 staff and has taken steps to position overnight security for protection of its 50 heavy construction machines.

On the morning of 8 August, arson destroyed two forklifts, the investigator reports. In the more recent case, arson destroyed a mechanical shovel on the morning of 16 March. "The owner is the general contractor," says Michel Tremblay, assistant director in charge of the criminal investigation for the south bank of Montreal.

"The value is approximately CAD400,000 (USD398,000) for a mechanical shovel, (but there is) no information about the price of a forklift," Tremblay says. "Chambly is under my jurisdiction. The investigation of the fires on the heavy machinery is being conducted by one of my investigators."