A Ladner farm currently under a stop work order was hit by vandals over the weekend.
Jeaven Hothi, whose family owns Hothi Farms, said vandals broke into the farm sometime over the weekend. He said the family was returning from temple in Surrey on Sunday afternoon and drove by the farm, which is just behind Cedar Park Church on 44th Avenue in Ladner, and noticed the damage.
Hothi said that several pieces of farm equipment were damaged and spray-painted. The suspects also tried to start some of the machines he said. Fireworks were left strewn about a building that was under construction when the municipality issued a stop work order last November, he said, and some tools were stolen.
The family is still totaling up the value of the damage, he said.
Delta police spokesperson Sgt. Sarah Swallow said the incident is still under investigation and officers are canvassing neighbours and looking for any possible video evidence.
The family had been preparing the land to farm, including constructing five new barns and storage buildings near the back of the property, when the Corporation of Delta issued a stop work orderon the first 8,800-square-foot building that's nearing completion.
Santokh Hothi said at the time that Delta's inspectors didn't like the foundation and want him to tear the building down, contrary to his engineer's assurance that isn't necessary.
He said the building cost around $250,000, but work on it has stopped. As well, construction can't begin on the other buildings at the 92-hectare (230-acre) site.
While the two sides have been at a stalemate, his potatoes, which would have been stored in the new building went up in flames, along with several pieces of farm equipment, in a massive barn fire at a separate leased property in East Delta in late November.
Damage in the fire, which was deemed accidental due to faulty wiring, was estimated at around $1 million.
