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HACKETTS COVE, N.S. — A tranquil Nova Scotia beach has become the scene of a dispute between an heiress to the McCain dynasty who wants trespassers off her property and locals who question why they can no longer use a path to a shore they’ve strolled for many years.

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Local resident Joshua Bishop says Eleanor McCain, a recording artist who has built a home near the beach on St. Margaret’s Bay, should allow locals to continue to use the trail that runs through forested land to Barney’s Beach, which is public property to the high-water mark.

“I find it kind of spiteful that when it became clear the neighbouring property was the way to get there, she purchased it and blocked everyone,” said the 27-year-old insulation installer on Wednesday.

Without the trail, residents must either walk 30 minutes along the shoreline to reach the beach or seek permission from another neighbour to cross their land.

McCain bought the property last year and the daughter of the late frozen food magnate Wallace McCain said in an email that her family wants to enjoy its privacy.