First Nations have plan to move problem grizzly but need go-ahead from B.C.

Kathryn Marlow · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 28, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 39 minutes ago

Three coastal First Nations person worked unneurotic to travel up with a program to determination a grizzly carnivore that's been causing problems connected Texada Island — conscionable disconnected B.C.'s Sunshine Coast — but truthful far, the state has not signed off. 

On June 13, the B.C. authorities said determination was nary "kill order" for the carnivore — but besides that it was "not a campaigner for relocation," due to the fact that it had already been moved twice, earlier returning to human-inhabited areas. 

On Texada, the assemblage of astir 1,000 radical has been divided connected whether the carnivore should beryllium killed oregon removed oregon near alone. 

But Erik Blaney — a legislator with the Tla'amin Nation — thinks the solution is to trap the carnivore and determination it astir 1 100 kilometres northwest to Bute Inlet, wherever it tin unrecorded with different coastal grizzlies and beryllium acold capable distant that it can't aquatics back. 

Previously, the carnivore was relocated to Jervis Inlet, which is astir 75 kilometres away. 

Blaney said helium has worked with his nation, the neighbouring shíshálh Nation, and the Homalco First Nation to trade a program for the relocation. 

Texada Island lies adjacent the intersection of Tla'amin and shíshálh territory. 

Stewardship guardians from the nations would enactment unneurotic to trap the bear, which would past beryllium moved by boat, and perchance plane, to Orford Bay successful Bute Inlet, which is successful Homalco territory. 

"We person the plan; we person the backing to bash it. What we don't person is the province's assistance and backing," said Erik Blaney. 

He said they person been gathering with provincial officials and person immoderate support, but person besides been told that what they're asking is extracurricular existent argumentation — and that to seizure and determination the carnivore without a licence could pb to charges nether the Wildlife Act. 

But helium sees this arsenic an accidental for Tla'amin and shíshálh —both of which person self-governing agreements — to look aft their lands and waters. 

"This truly shows unity among coastal guardian programs that are doing exactly, you know, what we should, which is protecting the earthy resources and wildlife wrong our territories."

Homalco Chief Darren Blaney, who is simply a relative of Erik Blaney, thinks it's a large plan. 

"When Erik called maine to spot astir this carnivore that could perchance get killed, I thought...we'll springiness it a accidental successful Bute," helium told CBC News. 

The Homalco person a tourism institution that runs grizzly tours from Vancouver Island up to Bute Inlet.

"We person an country that's astir possibly five kilometres wherever the salmon gets into and we get astir 50 to 60 grizzlies that travel successful determination erstwhile the salmon runs are going," said Darren Blaney. 

He said it's a spot wherever the grizzlies fatten up for winter. 

"So yeah, it's a bully spot for them and it's bully for our tourism."

The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship said precocious Friday afternoon in an email that it is alert of the plan and that determination are ongoing conversations betwixt First Nations and the Grizzly Bear Foundation astir it.