that makes me have to reject this theory is that I do not beleive the vinland map to be genuine- and his comparison to Vancouver Island just doesn't matter. There are tales of white men in the pacific northwest long before the Hudson's Bay Company ever ventured this far, and I'd like to daydream about the possiblity. It was a significantly warmer period in history and it just might have been possible to find a route through the arctic to the west. However, with a lack of archeological finds to back this up, that's all it is. A daydream. ;-)
However...I do know of several other occasions where the government or crown company has tried to bulldoze areas, knowing full well they were full of native artifacts, if owning up to the discovery means they can't develop the land the way they want to.