FREDERICTON- Parks Canada says the personal belongings of the family of a man who laid claim to land in New Brunswick’s Kouchibouguac National Park are being removed.
It says in a Tuesday evening statement that Jackie Vautour’s “family’s belongings are being carefully boxed and securely stored outside of the national park.”
Vautour died in 2021 and the Crown agency says it will ensure his family has the details on how to retrieve their belongings.
Parks Canada had given the family until March 31, 2022, to remove their belongings from the park and said it would take “necessary steps” to end the “illegal occupation.”
The Vautours have claimed they are Acadian-Metis and have the permission of Steven Augustine, a hereditary chief of the Mi’kmaq Grand Council, to remain on the property for more than 50 years.
However, Mi’kmaq chiefs in New Brunswick have said they hold title to the land that includes the park and the rights have not been extended to the Vautours or the Acadian-Metis.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2023.
