MONTREAL -- A LaSalle man says he's upset after Hydro Quebec workers on Thursday cleared a patch of forest near his home.
John Skuda has lived on Champlain Blvd., across from a patch of bushes and trees, for 25 years.
The copse was home to red foxes, cardinals, blue jays and crows, he said--and didn't need to come down. Hydro Quebec spokesperson Jean-Philippe Rousseau disagreed. He said the work was routine, and meant to clear vegetation that threatened nearby power lines.
But Skuda was angry. The trees were relatively small, he said--and weren't threatening the lines.
"I used to be able to listen to the crickets, the blue jays, see foxes, raccoons. Now, what do I see? A crane outside my house doing this," he exclaimed, gesturing to a vehicle outfitted with a mechanical saw, cutting through the undergrowth.
So, he confronted the workers, who replied with obscenities, he said.
An altercation ensued. Skuda took out his camera and took pictures of the workers, he said.
One of the workers stuck his rear end out of the window of a vehicle towards Skuda, the LaSalle man insisted.
"Maybe I'll have a picture of him sticking his bum out at me," he said.
Rousseau, the Hydro-Quebec spokesperson, said the agency would investigate the incident.
"Obviously, it is completely unacceptable if it's true," he said. "But of course, we will have an inquiry of that and see what's going on."
With files from CTV Montreal's Emily Campbell
