Claudia Sheehy and her son, Ciaran, moved into their home in Grand Lake, N.S., three years ago.

With a half hectare of land overlooking the lake, a park within walking distance and a nearby farm where she hoped her son would take horseback riding lessons one day, she had their future mapped out.

"It's just beautiful out here," said Sheehy. "If you could see the sunsets, the view just being on the water, [the great] neighbours, it's everything I would want a little boy to have growing up with."

But…