When Jennifer Balcarras moved to the remote town of Bella Coola for a job as a high school counsellor, her brothers weren’t surprised. “She spent a lot of time in coastal areas, and loved these kinds of places and these kinds of people,” said Matt Balcaraas. “It’s just that rainforest ocean spray type feel all the time,” added Josh Balcarras. Jennifer’s 20-year-old daughter Selah Reed moved with her. “Selah is so similar to her mother at this age. Artistic, the reading and the painting and the drawing, and being outdoors,” said Josh. On Saturday, mother and daughter set out together on a popular hiking trail in Bella Coola. “The trailhead was about one minute up the road from their house, and is a clearly marked trail. And, it was like, a walk,” said Matt. When family members could not contact them, concern turned to panic. On Monday, as Matt was driving to Bella Coola to help with the search, his phone rang. “I received a phone call from Selah’s dad. He’d been informed that our sister had been found deceased,” he said. Selah’s remains were found nearby. Both were victims of a grizzly bear attack. “I think the only way through this for me, and probably for all of us, is to not close our eyes and think about that,” said Josh. “You could go down a tunnel and think about who protected who and how that went down. And I think that is the only way that we can take steps forward is to not do that.” The family is instead focusing on planning a memorial for Jennifer and Selah. “Our attentions are already turning to supporting our nieces and nephew and my parents, and there’s a lot of logistics around helping them gather and a lot of energy that’s going towards that,” said Matt. The brothers are grateful to everyone who has donated to a GoFundMe set up to help cover funeral and travel expenses. <embed photo> “Jenny has three surviving children and actually a grandson. Her daughter in Calgary has a son. And, they’re all still young. And there has been an incredible outpouring of support that is very, very needed,” said Matt. They are also thankful to the people of Bella Coola. “We’ve been completely swamped with love,” said Josh. “I’ve not been hugged this much in my whole life, I’m sure. And so as much as it’s devastating, I want it to be known how special these people are.” As they remember their sister and niece, the brothers say they will focus on they way they lived, and not how they died. “I think we don’t wrap our heads around it,” said Josh. “It’s just too difficult.”
