Tag Archives: Bella Bella

Indigenous Nations, Rivers & Oceans

First Nation says federal government is absent after major spill settlement

By Sonal Gupta, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Nearly a decade after a tug spilled diesel into the territorial waters of a BC First Nation and shut down key harvesting grounds, the Heiltsuk Nation says a new settlement is only one step toward recovery.

The Heiltsuk have reached a settlement with Kirby Corporation, the Texas-based marine transportation company that owns the Nathan E. Stewart tug. The tug hit a reef near Bella Bella, BC in 2016 and spilled 110,000 litres of diesel and lubricants, fouling more than 350 kilometres of shoreline and shutting down a key clam harvesting area. 

But Heiltsuk leaders say the federal government — and Canada’s compensation fund for ship spills — are still “nowhere to be found.” 

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Arts

A SILENT OCEAN – Virtual Community Movie Night – FREE

The North Island – Powell River (NIPR) Electoral District Association of the Green Party of Canada is hosting an online movie night on March 26, 2026, from 6:30-8:30 PM. The two short films for this event are by westcoast Canadian filmmakers: It’s Time to Listen (2020) a 7-minute exploration of how whales respond to a quieter underwater world, produced by the Hakai Institute and Stand (2018), a 45-minute film by Anthony Bonello and Nicolas Teichrob, following local adventurer Norm Hann as he paddleboards along the east coast of Haida Gwaii with visits to Haisla, Bella Bella, and Tofino. (The film has amazing surfing footage!)

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Energy, Environment

Coastal First Nations warn billions at risk if Ottawa sinks tanker ban

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

If the oil tanker ban on the West Coast is lifted, nearly $2 billion in Indigenous-led economic gains could be scuttled, says a First Nations conservation finance organization. 

A single oil spill doesn’t just threaten First Nations communities, but could sink BC’s entire economy — impacting tourism, commercial and recreational fisheries, aquaculture and marine services — all of which depend on the healthy, pristine coast, said Coast Funds CEO Eddy Adra. 

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Rivers & Oceans

DFO ‘legacy of neglect’ leaves North Coast salmon to flounder

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Fisheries and Oceans Canada cut the monitoring of salmon streams along BC’s North and Central Coast, leaving critical stocks uncounted at the height of spawning season.

Seasonal “creek walkers” — contractors for the fisheries department (DFO) who trek along streams to record salmon returns — haven’t been hired as stocks return along the coast from Bella Bella to the Alaskan border, including major watersheds like the Skeena, Nass and Kitimat systems, says a coalition of conservation groups. 

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Business, Food

Measuring Workforce Exposure to the US Tradewar

A new interactive dashboard on the Institute for Research on Public Policy website measures the vulnerability that specific Canadian communities have in the US trade war.

“Canada’s reliance on the U.S. market has left certain communities vulnerable to shifting trade policies, including tariffs and protectionist measures,” explained Rachel Samson, the IRPP’s vice-president of research.

“Our dashboards can help identify which communities could experience challenges if tariffs are applied to sectors they depend on, allowing governments to work with the community to plan effective responses.”

The data is organized around Canada’s 293 census divisions.  

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