Mounties are now escorting children to school in the Northwestern British Columbian community of Bella Coola after a deadly bear attack claimed the lives of a local mother and daughter.The Nuxalk First Nation, the local indigenous band in the community, has confirmed that additional members of the RCMP have been brought into the region to conduct bear patrols, escort students to school, and offer rides home to kids who are out at night.The increased police presence in the community comes after Jennifer Balcarras and her 19-year-old daughter Selah Reed were attacked and killed by a bear earlier this week..In an interview with CTV News, elected chief of the Nuxalk Nation Samuel Schooner called the recent string of deadly bear attacks that had befallen the community a "time of layered tragedy."Schooner is referencing the bear attack in 2025 that injured 11 people, many schoolchildren and their teachers, when an elementary school outing turned wrong."The recent attack has brought up many difficult emotions, including painful memories of experiences that some of us are still trying to come to terms with,” said Schooner.A GoFundMe page set up by Mary Melissa Smith, a relative of Balcarras, has raised over $63,000 at the time of writing, with the money expected to go towards covering the funeral expenses of Balcarras and Reed.Speaking to CTV, Smith praised the response from the community regarding the incident, saying, "The compassion shown by this community has been extraordinary, and we are forever grateful."Local authorities have imposed an 8 p.m. curfew in the community as conservation officers and RCMP continue their search for the bear responsible for the attack.
