Working With Community

A Complex Reality

The Bella Coola Legal Advocacy Program promotes the rule of law by helping individuals better understand and assert their rights within the legal system. For many Mid-Coast, remote and Indigenous communities, access to justice is shaped by complex and ongoing challenges.

Cultural differences in dispute resolution, Geographic isolation, limited access to education, overburdened circuit courts, and rotating police services are all barriers to justice. Limited access to clear and accessible information about rights and responsibilities contributes to these issues.

The continuing impacts of Colonization, including the appropriations of lands, Residential schools, and overrepresentation in the child welfare and prison systems further compound the barriers to justice.

The high need for legal education and advocacy in the Mid-Coast was identified in 2005, when the Law Foundation of BC recognized the region as the highest priority in the province, noting that existing community resources were “completely unable” to meet the demand.

In response to this gap, the Bella Coola Legal Advocacy Program (BCLAP) was established in September 2008 with initial funding from the Law Foundation of BC and Legal Aid BC. What began as a half-time position supported also by project funding quickly became an essential service for the communities.

From its early stages, the program provided legal advocacy services locally in Bella Coola, along with quarterly visits to Anahim Lake, ensuring support reached a neighboring community area 2 hours up the mountain. Community support, including from the Ulkatcho Band Council, played a key role in strengthening and expanding these efforts.

By 2010, the impact of the program led to discussions about extending similar services to other communities, including Bella Bella, and Klemtu and Wuikinuxv. These communities are accessible only by boat, or small planes, highlighting the ongoing challenges of geography and access.

Today, BCLAP continues to operate with core full-time funding from the Law Foundation BC, sustained support from Legal Aid BC through Community Partner funding, alongside project-based funding from organizations such as BC Gaming, the Notary Foundation of BC and the Law Foundation of Ontario.

Our Team

Anne Fletcher

Bella Coola

Legal Advocate and Program Coordinator

Anne is the Founder of the Bella Coola Legal Advocacy Program (BCLAP) and has been a Legal Advocate since 2008. She works primarily with the people of the Nations of the mid-coast and Western plateau: Nuxalk, Heiltsuk, Kitasoo/Xai’xais, Wuikinuxv and Ulkatcho. She works with both On and Off Reserve legal issues. Anne is also the editor of Legal Information for Indigenous People, National Edition a plain language publication about legal issues that specifically affect Indigenous People, both on and off reserve.

Marion Anderson

Victoria

Administrative Assistant and Editorial Assistant

Marion has worked with the Bella Coola Legal Advocacy Program (BCLAP) since 2023 as the organization’s Administrative Assistant, supporting a wide range of day-to-day operations. Her role includes administrative coordination and helping manage daily operations, project support, and serving as Editorial Assistant for Legal Information for Indigenous People National Edition.

Marion has lived experience in rural and coastal communities in British Columbia, which informs her interest in improving access to justice for remote communities.