On July 16, people gathered in Forillon National Park in Quebec to mark progress for the Grande-Grave heritage site revitalization project/@Ricochet Design, Parks Canada

More than 100 people gathered for a July 16 community event at Forillon National Park in Quebec to mark the implementation of the Grande-Grave heritage accommodation project.

With only a few months to go before the first major work on the site, the gathering highlighted the collaboration between the Association of Persons Expropriated from Forillon and their Descendants, members of expropriated families in the Grande-Grave area and Parks Canada.

This long-awaited revitalization includes the conservation and presentation of several heritage buildings, the commemoration of the history of the expropriated families, and the creation of a distinctive accommodation offer for visitors.

The event provided an opportunity to reunite the expropriated families, discuss the heritage accommodation project and report on its progress.

To create an event that was significant for the families who were expropriated from the Grande-Grave area, particularly those who lived in the houses involved by the project, Parks Canada worked closely with the Gavey family and other descendants. Attendees came from across the country, including British Columbia and Alberta.

People chatted and reminisced about the days when they lived in Grande-Grave. “It was an afternoon filled with music, memories and tributes to these families,” Parks Canada said in a news release.

The federal government has committed nearly $9.8 million ($7.4 million USD) to conserve and present several heritage buildings here, including four houses — Elias Gavey, Daniel Gavey, Joseph Gavey and Charles-Philip Bartlett.

The buildings are among the last witnesses to the life of this village before the 1970 creation of the park. They offer an opportunity to commemorate the expropriated families who lived there. This heritage accommodation project will conserve these heritage buildings, while offering a meaningful experience for visitors who can learn more about this history, including difficult episodes from this past.

In June 1970, Forillon became Quebec's first national park within the Canadian network.

Located on the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, Forillon protects 244.8 square kilometres (95 square miles) of territory, including a narrow strip of marine area a little over 150 metres wide (490 feet).

This project is supported by a dozen local organizations, including the Association touristique régionale de la Gaspésie and Destination Gaspé, as well the Association of Persons Expropriated from Forillon and their Descendants.