Man charged with mischief after fracking machinery vandalized on Anticosti Island

A resident of Port-Menier, Marc Lafrance, has been charged with mischief causing more than $5,000 in damages after an oil company's installations on Anticosti, a remote island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, were vandalized.

The 55-year-old man will be back in court on Wednesday for a bail hearing.

In an online video posted to Facebook, Lafrance admits to having vandalized the property. The video had garnered more than 26,000 views by Tuesday evening.

In the video,Lafrancedescribeshimself as anAnticostiresident, as well asan opponent of shale gas, which is produced throughfracking.

• Anticosti mayor wants island designated UNESCO heritage site

A spokesperson fromPtrolia, a junior oil and gas exploration company, confirmed thatmachinery at its Canard site on Anticosti was damaged last week.

It is one of three sites on the island wherePtrolia, as a part of Anticosti Hydrocarbons, has rights to do hydraulic fracturing. The company said it intends to begin its frackingoperation at Canard nextsummer.

• How Anticosti became the centre of a debate over oil and gas exploration

Oil and gas operations on the island are opposed by many residents, includingthe mayor. They worry about the environmental impact and dangers posed tofish and wildlife.