'Incendiary objects' found under machinery at future Northvolt site in Quebec, company says
A company building a major factory for electric vehicle batteries in Quebec says incendiary devices were found Monday morning at its construction site east of Montreal, in what is the latest act of alleged vandalism against the project.
The devices consisted of bottles filled with flammable liquid with a "rudimentary" ignition system, said Paolo Cerruti, co-founder of Swedish manufacturer Northvolt. Cerruti, who is also CEO of Northvolt North America, told reporters the ignition system "allowed for a certain delay" before the bottles were supposed to catch fire, but "thank God it didn't work."
Northvolt initially called the devices "homemade bombs" in a news release, but Cerruti later referred to them as "incendiary devices."
Cerruti said multiple bottles were placed under the tires of "certain elements of equipment" at the site. Chantal Graveline with the Richelieu—Saint-Laurent police force confirmed that officers had discovered incendiary devices beneath a vehicle and that an investigation is underway.
Monday's discovery is the latest act of alleged vandalism at the future site of Northvolt's $7-billion factory for electric vehicle batteries. Straddling two communities about 30 kilometres east of Montreal — McMasterville and Saint-Basile-le-Grand — the 170-hectare site is scheduled to open by the end of 2026. It is expected to have an initial capacity to produce about 30 gigawatt-hours of cell manufacturing a year, enough to power one million vehicles.
Since it was announced in September, the project has faced opposition from environmental groups and the Mohawk community, who say the plant is being built on environmentally sensitive land without being subjected to a proper review.
At the end of February, police opened an investigation after individuals had laid spiked mats at the site. A vehicle was also damaged.
In January, the company said nails or metal bars had been inserted into about 100 trees. An anonymous group claimed responsibility on an anarchist website, saying the motive for their "sabotage" was to protest the megaproject, which they said would destroy woods and wetlands and perpetuate car culture.
A police vehicle is seen at the site of the future Northvolt plant for electric vehicle batteries on Monday, May 6, 2024, after the company says there were 'incendiary objects' found under machinery. (CTV News)
Cerruti said the site was being considered a crime scene and that the company was waiting for approval from police to reopen, which he expected would happen before the end of the day. He said if the objective of the vandals was to create fear among the employees of Northvolt and other companies at the site, it had the opposite effect.
"We are more determined than ever to go forward," he said. "We have the support of the community."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
Former South Dakota mayor charged with triple homicide
Three people were shot to death in a small South Dakota town, and a former law officer who once served as the town's mayor is charged in the killings.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Debunking the 'anti-sunscreen' movement: Doctors say TikTok trend is dangerous
Dermatologists are sounding the alarm about misinformation from the anti-sunscreen movement, saying not wearing sunscreen can cause cancer and other problems.
Widespread theft costing Canada's retail industry dearly: experts
The Retail Council of Canada wants to put a stop to widespread theft within the retail industry, and industry leaders are meeting this week to find solutions.
Records detail Brampton councillor's standoff with city over derelict property
A derelict property connected to a Brampton city councillor racked up $12,500 in fines in dozens of penalty notices over several months as city officials warned it was becoming a haven for rats and a homeless encampment, records obtained by CTV News show.
Dozens of people smuggled in freight trains across B.C. border into U.S., officials say
Authorities in the United States have arrested two men accused of using freight trains to smuggle dozens of people out of British Columbia and into the U.S. in what officials described as an 'extremely dangerous' criminal conspiracy.