RCMP probe work crew property damage, trees blocking road

The RCMP are investigating two incidents north of Moncton on Sunday that involved damage to a work crew's property andtrees being cut to block a road.

Shale gas protesters say the crew was doingseismic testingfor SWN Resources Canada.

But neither the company nor the RCMP would confirm that.

Officers were called to Route 490 near Fords Mills at about 2 p.m. after workers said they had been confronted by a number of people who proceeded to damage some of their equipment, said Cpl. Chantal Farrah.

A man also reported being injured by a moving vehicle, and the personal vehicle of one of the workers was also "extensivelydamaged,"she said.

Later in the evening, RCMP were called to Route 490 again after at least nine trees had been cut down by a chainsaw to block the road, said Farrah.

"The motive for cutting down the trees remains unclear but regardless of the intent, this type of activity poses a serious danger," she said in a statement.

"It's fortunate we discovered the cut trees as it was nighttime and any drivers travelling in the area may have not spotted the trees until it was too late resulting in serious injuries and damage."

Emergency crews wouldn't have been able to use the road either, said Farrah.

It took several hours to remove the trees and get the road reopened, she said.

Ongoing protests

Twelve people were arrestedduring anti-shale gas protests on Route 126,south of Rogersville,on Friday.

At least 32 protesters have been arrested in recent weeks.

SWN Resources is conducting seismic testing in Kent County to determine if developing a shale gas industry in the province is viable.

Premier DavidAlward has promisedto improve communications surrounding the controversy.

SWN has the rights to explore about 1.1 million hectares of the 1.4 million the province has issued licences for, according to information released in 2012.

The majority of SWNs licences stretch from southwestern New Brunswick and then across the province to Richibucto.

The New Brunswick government has faced two years of protests against developing the shale gas industry and in particular, the use of the contentious practice of hydraulic fracturing or hydro-fracking.

Hydro-fracking is a process where exploration companies inject a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the ground, creating cracks in shale rock formations to extract natural gas from areas that would otherwise go untapped.

Opponents are concerned the process will ruin the water supply and damage the surrounding environment.

Anyone with information about the latest two incidents is asked to contact the RCMP or Crime Stoppers.