FREDERICTON — The New Brunswick government is dismissing concerns it treated a municipality unfairly when it chose a First Nation to operate the beach at a provincial park.

Tourism Minister Isabelle Thériault says Wotstak First Nation was the best prepared out of three options to manage the 31-hectare North Lake Provincial Park in western New Brunswick.

But the mayor of nearby Lakeland Ridges says he was caught off guard when the province on Tuesday announced the First Nation had been selected.

Mayor Greg Grant says his municipal council wrote the province a letter of intent in early June to run the park — and didn’t hear back until the announcement.

Grant says two local summer students lost out on a job opportunity when the municipality wasn’t chosen.

In a news release, the provincial government said the First Nation was first to submit an official proposal to manage the beach.

The provincial Liberal government defunded North Lake in its budget earlier this year to save money.

Thériault says the agreement with Wotstak First Nation is temporary and that a search for a long-term operator would begin this fall.

As part of the agreement, the park’s beach will be open to the public for free from July 13 to Sept. 7, but the rest of the park will remain closed to visitors.

Wotstak First Nation did not return a request for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2026.

Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press