A vacation in the Maritimes has come to a sudden and upsetting end for a family of four from Quebec.
Steven Balatti and his family was set to begin a camping excursion in New Brunswick’s Kouchibouguac National Park when their car and trailer were stolen.
“I figured out it had been stolen, so at this moment our little world was falling out,” said Balatti.
The family had checked into the park on Sunday. They were switching campsites on Monday when they stopped at Kelly's Beach for the afternoon, parking in the designated lot for trailers.
At about 4:45 p.m., Steven Balatti came out to get money for ice cream. That's when he noticed their car and camper were gone. The thief or thieves broke into the trailer where they found a spare set of keys and drove away.
“Somebody saw the Boler leave the place at 4:30 and we came back at 4:45, so it was really, really close,” says Balatti.
Balatti’s partner, Stefanie Forcier, found her wallet nearby. Her ID was there as well as the family's passports, but their credit cards were gone.
The family car is a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta. The trailer is a white 1973 Boler with clouds painted on the inside of the door.
“We have a sentimental attachment to the trailer on the car. It's not about the car and the material things, it's the memories that were just stolen,” says Forcier.
The memories have been captured in a family journal, which they’ve cherished for the last two years.
“There are two things that we like to have back. That notebook which is super precious to us and my four-year-old has a special cuddly toy that she can't sleep without,” says Forcier.
The family had planned to spend a week camping in New Brunswick, but say they will now head back to Montreal in the next day or so.
They say while this experience has been rough one, the response from the community is enough to bring them back.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis.
