Bella Coola is a beautiful remote community located at the end of Highway 20. The closest larger community by road is Williams Lake, lying approximately 500 km west. If you travel by car from Williams Lake, the highway winds through the Chilcotin plateau until Anahim Lake and then through Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. 

After Anahim Lake the road turns to dirt and drops approximately 1500 m to sea level. The road is called “The Hill,” and was completed by community volunteers in 1953. Before that the Province refused to construct the road because it considered the terrain too dangerous. The road is narrow in parts, only allowing one vehicle to pass, has very sharp hairpin turns with grades up to 18%, no guardrails and drop offs of up to 320 m in places.

I have the privilege of being the Provincial Court judge assigned to sit in Bella Coola. Our court team flies into the community for a week, four times a year, and we conduct court remotely one day a month from Robson Square Courthouse in Vancouver for matters that need to be spoken to between circuits.

Judge Kasandra Cronin   

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The communities of Hagensborg and Bella Coola lie in a beautiful valley surrounded by steep rugged mountains. Hagensborg was founded by Norwegian settlers in the late 1800’s.  
 
The population in the valley is approximately 2000 people, and includes the traditional territories of the Nuxalk people. The Nuxulk Nation Band office and Reserve lands are located approximately 6 km from the Bella Coola townsite. The townsite sits along the stunning Bella Coola river. The townsite itself also includes Reserve lands inhabited by Nuxalk people. This brings Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together in a unique way.

The Nuxalk people have been in this area since time immemorial and have protocols for visitors based on their traditional laws. Before contact, approximately 30,000 Nuxalk people lived in their traditional territories. Smallpox decimated their community, and the population fell to approximately 300. The Nuxalk people, through resilience and by relying on traditional ways and knowledge, are re-embracing their culture to thrive and work at overcoming colonization. 

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Our goal is to provide the community access to justice for criminal, family, youth, civil, and Ministry of Children and Family Development matters and any provincial or federal tickets issued in the community.

Our team includes two court clerks, two sheriffs, two family duty counsel, Crown and defence lawyers (criminal duty counsel), and adult and youth probation officers.  

We fly on a charter plane from Vancouver to Bella Coola, but when the weather is bad flights are diverted to Anahim Lake. The drive down The Hill is always an adventure and not for the faint of heart!  

Court is held in Moose Hall. Our team sets up folding tables and chairs and assembles all the necessary court equipment to transform Moose Hall from a community hall to a courtroom. We start with family remand court on Monday afternoon, and then criminal remand on Tuesday. Trials tend to be on Wednesday and Thursday. We sit late in the evening to finish trials when needed, even returning to sit after a dinner break.

We have a Community Safety Luncheon every Tuesday. All members of the court team are encouraged to attend. Other participants often include the elected Chief Counsellor of the Nuxalk Nation, RCMP members, Restorative Justice Program Coordinators, Elders, Community Safety Committee members, representatives from the School, Health and Wellness Committee members, and Land Based Healing Coordinators. The luncheon is an opportunity for the court team to hear about issues in the community and to open lines of communication that help us provide access to justice. It’s a chance for all the parties to share our knowledge with one another.
 

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The Bella Coola valley has a large population of black and grizzly bears. It is not uncommon to see them on the side of the road or see their footprints in the riverbed. Tourists flock to the valley in September to watch them feed on the spawning salmon. The court team needs to be very bear aware when going for walks or a short hike.   

The court team tries to attend community events when we can. Events like the Nuxalk Salmon parade, held when the first Spring salmon return to the Bella Coola river, are highlights of the time we spend in Bella Coola. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to sit in this community. The people in this valley are warm and welcoming and are generous in sharing their knowledge with us. The mountains, river, ocean and valley are some of the most beautiful lands in this wonderful province. 

Judge Kasandra Cronin

Note: This eNews article was written by Judge Cronin who has held court in Bella Coola since March, 2024. Before her appointment as a judge, she served as defence counsel in the Bella Coola court team for more than twenty years.