The occupation of Pinery Provincial Park in Grand Bend is turning out to be a costly one for the province.
Officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources say they’ve lost about $20,000 in revenue since they had to shut down the park to the public earlier this month.
It closed on Nov. 9 when demonstrators blocked the front gate in support of what police said was a land claim.
To date, four school trips have been called off, one event was relocated and about 75 camping reservations have been cancelled.
About 23 staff members are still working on site, performing general maintenance and administrative work.
The park has been the site of land claim protests in the past. It is also not far from Camp Ipperwash, where a land claim demonstration turned deadly in 1995.