Hesquiaht First Nation chief Mariah Charleson is among several First Nation leaders speaking out against an application from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) to expand their business operations into B.C. coastal waters.
Hesquiaht territory is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island and encompasses the site of Canada’s historical Estevan Point Lighthouse.
“We do not support the application as there has been zero consultation with us,” said Charleson in an email.
NOLS from Landler, Wyoming, U.S.A. has an application to the Ministry of Water, Land & Resource Stewardship (WLRS) for a replacement of a license of occupation for sea kayaking expeditions, with amendment to include additional sites.
The application encompasses 77 total sites, according to the Ministry of WLRS. NOLS’s current tenure under (lands file 1412379) is of the same area with fewer sites, said the ministry, and since 2006 NOLS has held authorizations under this file. No authorizations have been cancelled due to non-compliance with tenure terms, the ministry said.
Two of the proposed sites – Burdwood Bay and Burdwood Point South – are located within Hesquiaht’s northern border with Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation.
“As First Nations peoples, it's an unfortunate reality we face daily with outside organizations, governments, businesses etc., looking to profit from our territories and its resources without considering the implications on the lands, waters, peoples. We have federal and provincial laws that state Canada and B.C. need to have free, prior, and informed consent, on issues impacting Indigenous peoples. Approval of this application would be a violation of federal and provincial law and would be a step backwards in the work of "reconciliation", that is supposed to be a top priority for Canada and B.C.,” said Charleson.
While the province said they are “in the process of initiating consultation on the NOLS application with Nations in whose territories the application area overlaps”, NOLS is already marketing a three-month long “Inside Passage” sea kayaking trip for 2026 that starts in Seattle, Washington and ends at Glacier Bay, Alaska.
“Paddlers will travel the entire west coast of Canada as they make their way to the end destination, Glacier Bay, Alaska. Much of the route will be in between barrier islands and the mainland allowing protection from major weather and sea challenges, but the trip will be far from easy,” reads NOLS website.
Tuition for the adult-only expedition is $24,950 per person and they are restricting the group size to six paddlers plus two instructors due to the difficulty.
On page four of their application under “Engagement with First Nations”, NOLS writes that Harry Alfred of the ‘Namgis First Nation “gave permission via phone and email in 2024 that okay for NOLS to camp on Hanson Island.”
Hanson Island is a significant sea kayaking basecamp located between the north coast of Vancouver Island and the mainland.
Alfred, who is a senior lands and resources officer for ‘Namgis, told the Ha-Shilth-Sa that correspondence from 2024 was granted for a “one-time thing” for a youth kayak trip.
“I feel disrespected. I had no idea they were using my name for this,” said Alfred.
While NOLS is based in the United States, it operates programs on six continents. NOLS has operated on so-called B.C. Crown lands in the coastal range since 1998 and along the central coast since 1995. NOLS Pacific Northwest operates under BCSociety# S-0032383.
NOLS also holds a licence of occupation in the Kliniklini River area for the purposes of Guided Mountaineering (lands file 5406317).
“First Nations agreements are an ongoing project. NOLS will update our permit administrator with additional First Nation contacts and agreements,” states NOLS.
Saya Masso, Natural Resources Manager for Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation located in the Tofino-area of Vancouver Island, said Tla-o-qui-aht has not received any emails on this land file.
“We have not engaged any consultation on this yet, and are unaware of any intended uses in our Tribal Parks.Until consultation occurs, we will not be able to endorse any permits,” said Masso in an email to the Ha-Shilth-Sa.
Roger Dunlop heads up the department of lands and resources for Nuchatlaht First Nation, whose territory spans from the northern-half of Nootka Island to the inlets surrounding the community. NOLS has requested for permits to camp on eight sites within Nuchatlaht territory.
“I was surprised, especially with the diminishing deadline for public input,” said Dunlop.
He shared that seven of the eight sites in Nuchatlaht territory are presently under appeal in B.C. Supreme Court with trial dates set for this Oct. 20 to 24.
Public commenting on the NOLS application closes Oct. 5.
“To my knowledge no consultation has occurred. My thought is that Nuchatlaht will not be about to grant tenures on their hard-won-in-court lands,” said Dunlop, adding that he has flagged the application with the Nuchatlaht’s legal council.
In alignment with Section 35 of the Constitution Act and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), the Ministry of WLRS has a legal duty to consult First Nations if an application to use Crown land may impact aboriginal rights, aboriginal title, or treaty rights.
The licence of occupation sought after by NOLS is non-exclusive and supports commercial adventure tourism. It can be granted in extensive use areas for up to 45 years, according to the Ministry of WLRS. Rental is $850.00/year plus $1/day per client day, said the ministry.
The ministry says they will thoroughly assess wildfire risks, pollution risk, cumulative effects risks and public feedback once commenting closes. They re-iterated that consultation with First Nations is in the early stages.
The Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC, a non-profit, member-driven organization dedicated to supporting professional sea kayak guides, acknowledged the community concerns the NOLS application has generated. They said they will be discussing the issue and associated concerns in an upcoming September meeting.
The Ha-Shilth-Sa reached out to Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation Tyee Ha’wiih Mike Maquinna for comment and will update this story once received.
