FREDERICTON — The granddaughter of a man who laid claim to land in New Brunswick's Kouchibouguac National Park says it is a frustrating time for her family.
Courtney Vautour says the family found out Tuesday morning that Parks Canada employees had blocked off a road in the park and were getting ready to bulldoze the home of her late grandfather, Jackie Vautour.
Vautour fought a nearly 50-year battle against expropriation after the park was created in 1969, living in a cabin without electricity until his death in February 2021.
Parks Canada said in a statement on Tuesday that the Vautours' belongings were being boxed and securely stored outside the national park.
Courtney Vautour says as far as she knows, no one was home when Parks Canada started its removal operations on the land.
She says the family will hold meetings over the coming days about what to do next.
Parks Canada had given the family until March 31 last year to remove their belongings from the park or it would take "necessary steps" to end the "illegal occupation."
The Vautours say they are Acadian-Métis, but Mi'kmaq chiefs in New Brunswick — who claim title to the land that includes the park — say land rights have not been extended to the Vautours or the Acadian-Métis.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2023.
The Canadian Press
