Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Quebec police suspect arson behind forest fires

Quebec police suspect that at least some of the many forest fires raging throughout the province were the result of arson.

Cops suspect arson caused wildfire in at least one part of Quebec | Toronto Sun - Joe Warmington:

June 7, 2023 - "The Toronto Sun has learned Quebec police are investigating the possibility that the smoke creating poor air quality in southern Ontario and making downtown skylines disappear may have been the result of arson. 'There is an investigation because the cause is suspect,' said Surete de Quebec media officer Hugues Beaulieu.

"This narrative has not made [,,] many headlines — and is polar opposite to what the likes of U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Environment Minister Steven Guibeault have been saying.

The ongoing wildfires remind us that carbon pollution carries a cost on our society, as it accelerates climate change.
Good read exploring the concept of that social cost of carbon. https://t.co/IQpgP2HYyg
— Steven Guilbeault (@s_guilbeault) June 7, 2023

"They are blaming the wildfires on 'climate change' and on the 'climate crisis.'

Between NYC in wildfire smoke and this in PR, it bears repeating how unprepared we are for the climate crisis.
We must adapt our food systems, energy grids, infrastructure, healthcare, etc ASAP to prepare for what’s to come and catch up to what is already here. #GreenNewDeal 🌱 https://t.co/GT7hY4Ffm3
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 7, 2023

"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s close friend and former principal secretary, Gerald Butts, also tweeted: 'The fires are worse because of the conditions in the forest. The conditions are caused by climate change'....

These Canadian wildfires are truly unprecedented, and climate change continues to make these disasters worse.
We passed the Inflation Reduction Act to fight climate change, and we must do more to speed our transition to cleaner energy and reduce carbon in the atmosphere.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 7, 2023

"And Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner tweeted that despite 'wildfires raging' the 'premier still won’t make the connection to climate change'....

"The actual cause is yet to be determined. We do know, however, that previous forest fires in places like Fort McMuray or in Nova Scotia are suspected to be caused by humans.... [F]oul play is not suspected in all of Quebec’s fires. But the ones which began in the small village of Chapais — in the northeast section of the province — are being probed.

"'It is suspicious,' said one business owner there. 'It is believed that some of these fires here were deliberately set'....[A] temporary trailer set up as a police command post is staffed with experienced arson investigators....

"'As we speak, we think that certain elements that stand out may suggest that these fires may be linked. There are a few things that seem suspicious,' Mayor Isabelle Lessard told the local le Quotidien newspaper. 'The SQ is investigating in order to make validations, then to see what is happening and if there is a criminal cause behind it, but we are still in validation.'

"While police have been told of unexplainable movements of people in the town, police stress the need for everyone to be patient. 'We are still investigating,” said Beaulieu. 'There are no results.' Part of the challenge, he said, is so many other sections of the province ignited at the same time. Beaulieu said while 'it’s a hard investigation to do, we will do it.'

"At this point, it’s too early to say the early fires in Quebec were started on purpose or as a result of climate change. But we can say Quebec provincial police are on the case."

Read more: https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-cops-suspect-arson-caused-wildfire-in-at-least-one-part-of-quebec

Quebec confronted with more than 150 wildfires | 'A situation that's unprecedented' | CTV News | June 7, 2023

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