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Bella Coola mourns mother and daughter killed in grizzly attack

CTV News remembers a school counselor's impact and reports that authorities have not established a link to an earlier bear attack nearby.

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CTV News Story of November 7, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of CTV News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 118,964 views.

Mother, daughter mourned after fatal grizzly attack

Jennifer Belcaras had joined a school team in Bella Coola only two months before her death. A colleague remembers how quickly she connected with students: "The kids just took to her so quickly."

Belcaras and her 20-year-old daughter, Cella Reid, were killed in a grizzly bear attack after setting out on a popular hiking trail, according to CTV News. The report says the family requested a wellness check when they did not return, and their bodies were discovered on Monday and Tuesday.

An art therapist and mother of four, Belcaras had relocated to the British Columbia community to work as a high school counselor, CTV reports. Her colleague describes the loss plainly: "We're heartbroken and shocked."

The report also revisits a grizzly attack nearby the previous November in which several teachers and students were critically injured. An official says authorities collected DNA and established a profile of the bear involved in that incident, but never located it. According to CTV, authorities do not yet know whether the same animal was responsible for the fatal attack.

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