In 2006, the provincial government and then-Environment Minister Claude Béchard announced the increase of the size of Orford as a national park.
Inside the 80 hectares (200 acres) that were to be sold, developers planned to build condominiums, restaurants, boutiques and a hotel.
On May 7, 2007, new Environment Minister Line Beauchamp announced that the province would not sell Orford.
[2] Following on the heels of strong citizen support Orford Park has since been expanded several times adding over 100 square kilometers of protected area.
It is the home mountain of Olympic medalist Nicolas Fontaine, for whom there is a track named in his honour.