Nuxalk Nation
Nuxalk Nation continues to oppose the process the Central Coast Regional District (CCRD) has chosen to develop and adopt its draft Official Community Plan (OCP).
Nuxalk Nation maintains that the CCRD must cease and desist all OCP planning activities until meaningful work is done to obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of Nuxalk Leadership.
Without consent, this planning process and any resulting bylaw violate Nuxalk Law, infringe on our sovereignty, and violate our Rights as Indigenous Peoples.
Xuta – Terry Webber
Chief Administrative Officer
Way!
Please see Nuxalk Elected Council's letter to British Columbia regarding the OCP process here.
Nuxalk Nation welcomes and supports the reaffirmation of the North Coast Oil Tanker Ban. This decision upholds the rights, responsibilities, and values that our ancestors have defended since time immemorial and reflects our ongoing commitment to protecting the lands, waters, air, oral histories and marine ecosystems of our territory for future generations.
We thank Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier David Eby, MLA Tamara Davidson, federal ministers, and the Coastal First Nations team for their leadership and advocacy in helping ensure these protections remain in place.
For thousands of years, Nuxalkmc has (and will continue) protected and stewarded our territory according to our ancestral laws and responsibilities. Guided by the teachings of our ancestors and accountable to those yet to come, we remain united in safeguarding our lands, waters, air, and cultural heritage.
Nuxalk Nation remains a strong supporter of the North Coast Oil Tanker Ban and the protection it provides for our coast, our communities, and our way of life.
Our ancestors protected these lands for thousands of years. We carry that responsibility today, and we will continue to do so for generations to come.
Way!
See the full article here.
At duly convened meetings of the WKXN Hereditary and Elected Leadership on May 13th & 14th 2026 in the Village of Q’umk'uts in Nuxalk Territory we unanimously assert our opposition to the Heiltsuk Constitution’s territorial claims or assertions that overlap, infringe upon, or otherwise impact our respective territories, governance, rights, title, and jurisdiction.
Our Nations have occupied, governed, stewarded, protected, and upheld responsibilities to our lands, waters, and resources since time immemorial through our own distinct systems of governance, laws, protocols, and hereditary structures. Any attempt to advance constitutional recognition, governance authority, or territorial assertions without our free, prior, and informed consent is unacceptable and contrary to the principles of respectful Nation-to-Nation relationships.
We remain deeply concerned that the Heiltsuk Constitution, as presented, misrepresents the territorial boundaries, jurisdictional authority, and governance interests within areas that are stewarded by the Wuikinuxv, Kitasoo Xai’xais, and Nuxalk Nations. Our territories are not subject to unilateral inclusion, interpretation, or representation by another Nation or governing body.
We therefore call upon all levels of government, agencies, ministries, and associated bodies to recognize and respect our Nations’ inherent rights, title, governance, and territorial authority, and to ensure that no decisions, agreements, recognitions, or processes proceed in a manner that undermines or prejudices our interests.
Enclosed is our original letter to the Heiltsuk Nation dated February 1 8, 2025, that also outlines our opposition to these claims.
We request a meeting between our leadership and yours as soon as possible to discuss a path forward.
See the attached Hereditary Chiefs signature page here.
For Immediate Release
May 5, 2026
Ministry of Forests
BC Wildfire Service
PARKSVILLE – Effective at 12:00 p.m. (noon) PDT on Thursday, May 7, 2026, most open burning activities will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, with exceptions for Haida Gwaii. This prohibition is being enacted to help reduce human-caused wildfires and for public safety.
Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre's jurisdiction, with the exception that only Category 2 and Category 3 fires will be prohibited in the Haida Gwaii Forest District (Category 1 campfires will be permitted). This prohibition will be in place until October 31, 2026, or until the order is rescinded.
A map of the affected areas is available online:
This prohibition applies to all areas in the Fire Centre that are outside of municipal boundaries.
In addition, this prohibition applies to the following types of land within municipal boundaries:
Municipalities may follow BC Wildfire Service prohibitions or may impose different prohibitions based on conditions in their local area. If you are in a municipality, be sure to check if local prohibitions are in place. If you are within a regional district or improvement district, this prohibition applies as well as any local prohibition issued by the local authority. BC Parks follows BC Wildfire Service prohibitions.
Specifically, this prohibition refers to the following activities:
"Category 1 open fire" which means a campfire that is:
"Category 2 open fire" which means an open fire, other than a category 1 campfire, that burns:
"Category 3 open fire" which means an open fire that burns:
Also prohibited are the activities listed below (Wildfire Act, Section 12):
Please review the full list of prohibited activities and equipment in your area here.
This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. As per the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is a CSA-rated or ULC-rated device used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, and has a flame height that is less than 15 cm tall.
Open fire is the largest cause of human-caused fires provincially. Human-caused wildfires are entirely preventable and may divert crucial resources from naturally occurring and/or existing wildfires. Prohibitions are a useful tool used to reduce the likelihood of more human-caused fires in anticipation of increased lightning-caused fires or during critical fire situations.
Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
The Coastal Fire Centre covers all the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-Canada border at Manning Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.
To report a wildfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone or report via the BC Wildfire Service App. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions and other related advisories, go to: http://www.bcwildfire.ca
Learn More:
Follow the latest wildfire news:
Contact:
Fire Information Officer
Coastal Fire Centre
250-951-4209
Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect
AFTER SXSW AUDIENCE AWARD WIN, NUXALK NATION’S CEREMONY HEADS TO HOT DOCS FILM FESTIVAL WITH A STORY CANADA CANNOT IGNORE
April 16, 2026
Bella Coola, B.C. – Nuxalk Nation is pleased to announce that Nuxalk documentary filmmaker Banchi Hanuse’s CEREMONY will have its Canadian premiere at Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto, Ontario in the Canadian Spectrum Competition Program. The film premieres with Hanuse and a Nuxalk delegation in attendance at the TIFF Lightbox Cinema at 5:30 PM April 30, 2026 with a second screening at 11:30 AM on May 1, 2026.
“This film reflects our enduring strength as Nuxalkmc; it is a meaningful moment for our Nation as our voices connect with new audiences,” said elected chief Samuel Schooner. “Sharing our stories from our perspective is paramount, and we are immensely proud to be a part of ensuring this story is shared with the world.”
Amid the vanished ooligan run in the remote village of Bella Coola, voices rise through the crackling airwaves of Nuxalk Radio as the search for a missing species unearths buried truths of generational erasure and colonial disruption. Collective testimony, watercolour-animated ancestral stories, and rare archival immerse us in a Nuxalk worldview, an ongoing act of reclamation of a people refusing to disappear.
CEREMONY, which began production in 2014, has had a long journey to the screen. Over a decade in the making, the film is a reflection of the time it takes to unravel competing narratives in search of a fuller truth.
“CEREMONYis a response toa call from the Nuxalk community by the Nuxalk community, but its message reaches far beyond our territory,” says Hanuse. “ It asks all of us to witness deeply uncomfortable truths, but also shares and uplifts strength. Nuxalk Radio amplifies this; it’s a space our community uses for healing and empowerment and the film reflects that.”
Banchi Hanuse is a filmmaker who works across film and radio as a co-founder of Nuxalk Radio, supporting Nuxalk language revitalization, upholding Nuxalk Nationhood and advocating for stewardship of Nuxalk homelands. Her acclaimed film Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun, premiered at Big Sky, winning the Big Sky Award in 2023.
Ceremony is directed and produced by Slts’lani Banchi Hanuse, written by Hanuse and Jessica Mayhew, cinematography by Luke Connor, Jean-Philippe Marquis, and edited by Erin Cumming and Sarah Taylor. The film’s animator is Jay White, animation artist Anuximana Jade Hanuse, composer Jesse Zubot and sound by Joe Watts. The documentary features Megan F. Moody, Qwaxw Siwallace, Snuxyaltwa "DJ Y" Deric Snow, Nuskmata Jacinda Mack, Q’umulha Schooner, Sunhwrna Schooner, Jason E. Moody, Snxakila Clyde Tallio, Kmalsuuncw Orden Mack, Peter Solhjell and Tom Swanky.
Ceremony was made possible through the support of Indigenous Screen Office, National Geographic Society, Hot Docs Crosscurrents Doc Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, National Film Board Of Canada – FAP, British Columbia Arts Council. With additional support from Gordon And Betty Moore Foundation,
Makeway Foundation, Nature United, Tula Foundation, and with appreciation to Cannes Docs Marché Du Film, Planet In Focus Film Festival and National Screen Institute.
More Information:
Media Inquiries:
Nicola Pender, Pender PR
nicola@penderpr.com
604-617-4807
Coastal Nations Commercial Fishing (CNCF), an active fishing company and daughter company of Coastal Nations Fisheries (CNF), is looking to build a database of (future) fishers from the shareholder Nations to match upcoming opportunities with potential candidates.
Bella Coola, B.C. — March 27, 2026
Are you a citizen of one of our shareholder Nations (Gitga’at, Gitxaała, Haida, Haíłzaqv, Kitasoo Xai’Xais, Nuxalk, Metlakatla or Wuikinuxv) and are you an experienced commercial fisher or interested in becoming one?
Coastal Nations Commercial Fishing (CNCF), an active fishing company and daughter company of Coastal Nations Fisheries (CNF), is looking to build a database of (future) fishers from the shareholder Nations to match upcoming opportunities with potential candidates. Please note adding your name to our database does not guarantee a fishing opportunity with CNCF.
The opportunities will be in:
• fishing on one of CNCF’s fishing vessels (staff fishing); and/or
• fishing leased quota (lease fishing).
CNCF is actively engaged in growing its fleet, fishing its own licenses and quota, and staffing its operations with shareholder Nations’ fishers.
CNF holds licenses and quota for the following species: crab, prawn, sea cucumber, sea urchin, geoduck, halibut, sablefish, lingcod, other groundfish, salmon troll and seine, as well as tuna.
CNCF currently operates three vessels, with possibly two more vessels added this year:
• the Lasqueti Explorer fishing crab (Area A) and halibut.
• the Lasqueti Sons fishing seine salmon (Area A and B), and halibut; and
• the Adventurer fishing prawn and troll salmon (Area F).
This year, staff fishing opportunities are expected in Area A crab (crew), seine salmon and halibut (crew) and Area F salmon troll (crew). Lease fishing opportunities are expected in lingcod, sablefish, rockfish, sea urchin and sea cucumber.
If this sounds interesting to you, please connect with Aaron Murray at aaron.m@cncflp.ca or at 604-250-0341. Whether you have commercial fishing experience or are new to the industry and want to learn, we are excited to hear from you.
CCRD and Nuxalk Nation suspend landfill fees slated for January 1, while working toward a long-term agreement
Bella Coola, B.C. — December 11, 2025
Chief Schooner of the Nuxalk Nation and Chair Jayme Kennedy of the Central Coast Regional District (CCRD) issue the following joint statement to the Bella Coola Valley community, including the Nuxalkmc:
Beginning January 1, 2026, landfill residential user fees will be suspended. This pause reflects our shared commitment to a cooperative path forward while we finalize an agreement that ends residential user fees and ensures long-term stability for the solid waste service.
We recognize the importance of reliable, affordable waste services for households across the Valley. The CCRD and Nuxalk Nation are actively working together on a framework that supports community well-being, environmental stewardship, and a sustainable service model.
What this means for residents
We thank the community for its patience and cooperation as we complete this work together. Our shared goal is a solution that reflects local values, supports equitable access, and protects the environment we all depend on.
As a response to recent bear incident, the Nuxalk Nation has partnered with the province to provide information, support and resources to help the community heal.
Read the full resource list by Clicking Here
Following grizzly attack on Nuxalk school group, the MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley prioritizes tone-deaf meeting with special interest group, ignoring Nuxalk community needs and jurisdiction.
Read the full letter by Clicking Here
Attention: Central Coast Regional District [CCRD] Chief Administration Officer, Board of Directors and the Public
Regarding the invitation to a community open house on June 3, and additionally the 'Stataltmc Engagement Session' on June 4; we, the Hereditary Chiefs, strongly oppose the Central Coast Regional District’s Official Community Plan (OCP). The CCRD did not engage with us, the Hereditary Chiefs, about the OCP and therefore will not be attending the ‘CCRD Stataltmc Engagement Session’ and consider both the OCP and the engagement sessions null and void.
We will meet with the CCRD when the Hereditary chief sets the date.
Read the full letter by Clicking Here
For information contact Acting CAO - Kirsten and Tina 250-799-5613
