Yukon seeks court order to remove Bonnet Plume lodge

The Yukon government has turned to the courts toevict a hunting outfitter from a newly-builtcamp on the Bonnet Plume River.

Bonnet Plume Outfitters built the lodge at the Copper Point site in central Yukon this summer. It also built three cabins at the same location in 2005.

The government says the company, owned by Chris and Sharron McKinnon, has no legal right to occupy the property.

It is seeking a court orderto remove the buildings.

The government says it first heard about the camp last spring from Fronteer Group, a Vancouver exploration company that had a base at Copper Point.

Fronteersaid hundreds ofboxes used to store its drill core samples had been destroyed and the wood used to build cabins.Thecore samples had been broken up and laid down as walkways between the buildings, the company said.

The government says by the time its officials investigated the site, the construction of the two-storey lodge was underway.

The McKinnons say the Lands Branch gave them permission to build the lodge, but the government says it told the couple theyshould make an application for the land and apply for a building permit.