In Quebec, a conspiracy theorist confessed in court to setting forests on fire
The defendant was spreading a climate conspiracy theory.
Brian Paré, a 38-year-old resident of Quebec, became the hero of a controversial story made public during the trial. Paré, who had long actively promoted the conspiracy theory that the government was deliberately setting fire to forests, was eventually found guilty of committing a series of arson fires. The fires led to a mass evacuation of residents: about 500 homes in the small community of Chapais, 425 kilometers northwest of Quebec City, were devastated.
At the hearing, prosecutor Marie-Philippe Charron presented a timeline of events and evidence that Paré had set 14 fires, 2 of which led to the evacuation in question. The fire near Lake Cavan was particularly devastating, destroying 873 hectares of forest. This was only one of 5 fires triggered by Paré between May 31 and June 1, a period following the ban on open fire in the forest zone due to dry weather.
Investigation
Police and emergency services, who noticed that some of the fires could not have started naturally, launched an investigation. It turned out that Paré was present at the fire sites and expressed interest in the fires. This gave rise to suspicions.
Police tracked Paré's Facebook activity and found posts in which he claimed the government was deliberately setting fires. And the installation of surveillance on the suspect's vehicle confirmed his presence at the epicenters of other fires. Paré was eventually arrested on Sept. 7.
Prosecution
In custody, the man confessed to setting fire to the woods, allegedly to check if the grass was dry. This confession was a key point for the prosecution. Pare spoke little at the trial, limiting himself to short answers to the judge's questions. The trial has decided to order a mental health evaluation of Paré. The results of the report are expected by April 22.
In total, the summer in Quebec was marked by more than 700 forest fires, destroying more than 4.5 million hectares. The province's fire department emphasizes that the vast majority of these fires, 99.9%, were the result of lightning strikes. This past wildfire season across Canada was far more destructive than ever before.
