Terror of COVID-19

The idea of COVID-19 entering the remote First Nation’s community of Bella Bella terrifies Marilyn Slett, chief councillor of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council. Located on British Columbia’s central coast, the water- and air-access only community of 1,400 is a gateway to Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest, a region the size of Ireland that’s famed for its eco-tourism opportunities.

— By Diane Selkirk —

One of 198 distinct First Nations in BC, each with its own unique traditions and history, the Heiltsuk Nation has spent years revitalizing and preserving its culture. The long process reached a milestone with the November 2019 opening of the community’s first Big House (where the Heiltsuk gathered for sacred communal events) to be built in 200 years, and more plans are in the future. But, as it does in many Indigenous communities, the future takes its cues from the past. And Covid-19, which is particularly dangerous to older people, therefore puts the community’s future at risk.

Read on in BBC Travel…