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Bella Coola and Hagensborg are neighbouring communities located about a 10-minute drive apart in the beautiful Bella Coola Valley, on the unceded territory of the Nuxalk Nation. Although they have separate names, they function much like one connected community. Residents regularly travel between them for work, school, shopping, health care, recreation and community events.
Bella Coola is located toward the western end of the Valley and provides many essential services, including the hospital and medical clinic, pharmacy, credit union, grocery and hardware stores, government services, restaurants and cafés. Bella Coola Elementary serves students from Kindergarten to Grade 4 in a welcoming, close-knit learning environment.
Hagensborg is a short drive east and is home to the Valley’s airport, grocery and liquor store, post office, gas station, seasonal outdoor swimming pool and several small businesses. Nusatsum Elementary serves Grades 5–7, while Sir Alexander Mackenzie School serves Grades 8–12 and offers a thriving outdoor education program.
Together, Bella Coola and Hagensborg offer the warmth and personal connections of small-community living without teachers feeling limited to the services of a single village. The short distance between them makes it easy to live in either community while working at any of the Valley schools and enjoying everything the wider Valley has to offer.
Bella Coola / Hagensborg
If you are looking for a teaching experience that is truly different, Shearwater offers the opportunity to become part of a welcoming, close-knit island community in the spectacular Great Bear Rainforest. Located on Denny Island in the unceded territory of the Heiltsuk Nation, Shearwater is accessible only by boat or plane and offers an unforgettable coastal lifestyle surrounded by ocean, forests and wildlife.
Shearwater Elementary is a small K–7 school where teachers can build meaningful relationships, provide individualized learning and connect education to the surrounding land and ocean. The community offers a grocery and liquor store, post office, restaurant, hotel, laundromat, marina, fuel service and marine facilities, with additional amenities a short water-taxi ride away in Bella Bella. For an adventurous educator who values independence, creativity and genuine community connection, Shearwater offers a rare and rewarding place to live and teach.
Guide to the community's services
The Nuxalk Nation is a strong and vibrant First Nation whose unceded territory includes the Bella Coola Valley. Nuxalk culture, language and traditions are deeply woven into community life, and the Nation leads important work in cultural revitalization, education, stewardship and self-determination.
The Nation operates Acwsalcta School, its own independent K–12 school, which places Nuxalk culture, language and identity at the heart of students’ learning. Through relationships among Acwsalcta, the public schools, students, families, Elders and community members, teachers have meaningful opportunities to learn, build connections and participate respectfully in cultural celebrations and community events throughout the year.
Nuxalk Nation
Acwsalcta
The Heiltsuk Nation is a strong and vibrant coastal First Nation whose unceded territory encompasses Bella Bella, Shearwater and a vast area of the Central Coast. Heiltsuk culture, language and traditions are deeply connected to the land and ocean, and the Nation is a leader in cultural revitalization, environmental stewardship, economic development and self-determination.
The Nation operates Bella Bella Community School, an independent school serving students from Nursery through Grade 12. The school places Heiltsuk culture, language, community traditions and land-and-water-based learning at the heart of education. Through relationships with Heiltsuk students, families, Elders and community organizations, teachers have valuable opportunities to learn, build connections and participate respectfully in cultural and community events. Bella Bella Community School
Heilstuk Nation