B.C. politics · Indigenous consultation · source check

West Coast pipeline screenshot names 85 B.C. Nations — how many registered people live on reserve?

A Facebook post labels Indigenous consultation as “extortion.” NewsForBC checked a narrower factual question raised by the screenshot: for the B.C. Nations listed, how many registered people live on their own reserve?

NewsForBC Source CheckBC PoliticsFirst Nations dataPublished July 10, 2026

Editorial note: This story does not adopt the Facebook post’s “extortion” wording. Consultation, accommodation, rights, title and project benefits are legal and political questions. The table below answers a data question using federal First Nation Profiles registered-population data.

NewsForBC source-card image showing federal on-reserve population count summary
Source-card summary. Full table and CSV are linked below.

What the Facebook post shows

The BetterBC post is titled “Reconciliation in reality”. Its public Facebook metadata says: “How does EXTORTION look like in Canada? These are the First ‘Nations’ that will require ‘consultation’ aka cash or equity stake bribes to build the oil pipeline…” The attached image appears to be a page from a “WEST COAST OIL PIPELINE PROJECT” report listing Alberta and British Columbia Indigenous groups identified for engagement.

NewsForBC could not locate an indexed public copy of that report from the screenshot alone. The screenshot is therefore treated as a social-media lead, not as a verified official project filing.

What the federal data says

85B.C. entries listed in the screenshot
84matched to single federal band profiles
22,694registered people on own reserve
62,931total registered population in matched profiles

The federal endpoint used here is Indigenous Services Canada / Crown-Indigenous Relations’ First Nation Profiles — Registered Population, current as displayed on the pages as June 2026. “On own reserve” means registered males plus registered females listed by the federal profile as living on that Nation’s own reserve. It is not the same as total ancestry, citizenship, community affiliation, territorial rights, treaty rights, Aboriginal title, or census population.

Important caveats before using the numbers

  • Population does not decide rights. Small on-reserve counts do not erase rights, title, treaty rights or consultation duties.
  • “Nation” and “band profile” are not always the same thing. The screenshot’s “Ktunaxa Nation” wording does not correspond to one single federal band profile; Ktunaxa communities include separate band profiles.
  • On-reserve is narrower than community. Many registered members live off reserve or on another reserve.
  • Consultation is not automatically bribery. Cash/equity benefit agreements may be criticized or defended, but the Facebook post’s “extortion” wording is rhetoric, not a legal finding.

Full table: registered people living on reserve

Columns: “own reserve” is the main number requested. “Any reserve” adds members listed on other reserves. “Total registered” includes off-reserve members.

#Screenshot labelFederal profile nameBand #Own reserveAny reserveOff reserveTotal registeredSource
1Adams Lake Indian BandAdams Lake684367437457895FNP
2Aitchelitz First NationAitchelitz55816231841FNP
3Ashcroft Indian BandAshcroft6857177411488FNP
4Boothroyd Indian BandBoothroyd7006485268353FNP
5Boston Bar First NationBoston Bar First Nation7018190246336FNP
6Chawathil First NationChawathil583303384303687FNP
7Cheam First NationCheam First Nation584186256337593FNP
8Coldwater First NationColdwater693329376612989FNP
9Cook's Ferry Indian BandCook's Ferry6944873329402FNP
10Cowichan TribesCowichan6422647298226495631FNP
11Esk’etemcEsk'etemc7114004408401281FNP
12Halalt First NationHalalt6457993121214FNP
13High Bar First NationHigh Bar70323344348FNP
14Kanaka Bar Indian BandKanaka Bar7045876178254FNP
15Katzie First NationKatzie563307319352671FNP
16Ktunaxa NationNot a single federal band profile in this wording——————
17Kwantlen First NationKwantlen First Nation56468102331433FNP
18Kwaw-kwaw-Apilt First NationKwaw-kwaw-Apilt58040491665FNP
19Leq’á:mel First NationLeq'á:mel First Nation579129151437588FNP
20Lheidli T’enneh First NationLheidli T'enneh6119499861961FNP
21Lhtako Dene NationLhtako Dene Nation71597109111220FNP
22Lower Nicola Indian BandLower Nicola69547252911111642FNP
23Lower Similkameen Indian BandLower Similkameen598220264499763FNP
24Lyackson First NationLyackson6461335204239FNP
25Lytton First NationLytton70575690713012209FNP
26Matsqui First NationMatsqui First Nation565102117174291FNP
27Musqueam Indian BandMusqueam5506627867331520FNP
28Neskonlith Indian BandNeskonlith690261314393708FNP
29Nicomen Indian BandNicomen6964963170233FNP
30Nooaitch Indian BandNooaitch699104125124249FNP
31Okanagan Indian BandOkanagan61682792217422667FNP
32Oregon Jack Creek BandOregon Jack Creek69216235275FNP
33Osoyoos Indian BandOsoyoos596363424180604FNP
34Pauquachin First NationPauquachin652230269166435FNP
35Penelakut TribePenelakut Tribe6505095767161292FNP
36Penticton Indian BandPenticton5975906315841215FNP
37Peters First NationPeters First Nation5864346148194FNP
38Popkum First NationPopkum First Nation585111213FNP
39Sc’ianew / Beecher Bay First NationBeecher Bay640102114163277FNP
40Seabird Island BandSeabird Island5816146664481114FNP
41Semá:th / Sumas First NationSumas First Nation578155190205395FNP
42Semiahmoo First NationSemiahmoo569455649105FNP
43Shackan Indian BandShackan698566567132FNP
44Shuswap BandShuswap Band60577106232338FNP
45Shxwhá:y VillageShxwhá:y Village57072127398528FNP
46Shxw’ōwhámél First NationShxw'ow'hamel First Nation58792116142258FNP
47Simpcw First NationSimpcw First Nation691196224698923FNP
48Siska Indian BandSiska706101118226344FNP
49Skawahlook First NationSkawahlook First Nation5825147993FNP
50Skeetchestn Indian BandSkeetchestn687212243353596FNP
51Skowkale First NationSkowkale57117720998308FNP
52Skuppah Indian BandSkuppah707586586151FNP
53Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw / Little ShuswapSkwlax te Secwepemculecw689195239155394FNP
54Snuneymuxw First NationSnuneymuxw First Nation64857972513622088FNP
55Soowahlie First NationSoowahlie572173212280493FNP
56Splatsin First NationSplatsin600322394556951FNP
57Spuzzum First NationSpuzzum7084951525579FNP
58Sq’éwlets / Scowlitz First NationSq'éwlets56895133181314FNP
59Squamish NationSquamish5552182237124284800FNP
60Squiala First NationSquiala First Nation57411414876226FNP
61Sqwá / Skwah First NationSqwá First Nation573206251495746FNP
62Sts’ailes First NationSts'ailes5594915626261195FNP
63Stswecem’c Xget’tem / Canoe Creek-Dog CreekStswecem'c Xget'tem First Nation723240284598885FNP
64St’uxwtews / Bonaparte First NationBonaparte First Nation68614819310361230FNP
65Stz’uminus First NationStz'uminus First Nation6417338606361497FNP
66T’exelc / Williams Lake First NationWilliams Lake First Nation7192583078041111FNP
67Tk’emlúps te SecwépemcTk'emlúps te Secwépemc6885516569841642FNP
68Toosey Band / Tl’esqoxTl’esqox718163191308499FNP
69Tsartlip First NationTsartlip6535446644221086FNP
70Tsawout First NationTsawout First Nation6545586813471028FNP
71Tsawwassen First NationTsawwassen First Nation577195206224431FNP
72Tseycum First NationTseycum6558713777215FNP
73Ts’kw’aylaxw First Nation / PavilionTs'kw'aylaxw First Nation594177252359611FNP
74Tsleil-Waututh First NationTsleil-Waututh Nation549295347387734FNP
75Tsq’escen’ / Canim Lake First NationTsq'escen' First Nation713381402201603FNP
76Ts’uubaa-asatx First NationTs'uubaa-asatx64317171835FNP
77Tzeachten First NationTzeachten575265296322621FNP
78Union Bar First NationUnion Bar First Nation58868174183FNP
79Upper Nicola BandUpper Nicola697332388610999FNP
80Upper Similkameen Indian BandUpper Similkameen5995871277348FNP
81Westbank First NationWestbank First Nation601441470508981FNP
82Whispering Pines/Clinton Indian BandWhispering Pines/Clinton7024248203251FNP
83Xatśūll / Cmetem’ / Soda Creek First NationXatsull First Nation716136168311480FNP
84Yakweakwioose First NationYakweakwioose57634365894FNP
85Yale First NationYale First Nation5896181139220FNP

Download the CSV table · Open the source note

What B.C. should ask now

  1. Where is the full “West Coast Oil Pipeline Project” report, who authored it, and was it a formal filing or a private concept document?
  2. Which listed groups are directly crossed by a corridor, which have broader asserted rights/interests, and which are listed for engagement out of caution?
  3. What consultation standard is being applied: legal duty to consult, project engagement, benefit agreement negotiation, or political outreach?
  4. Can governments and proponents publish engagement maps, corridor assumptions and participation criteria without inflammatory shorthand?

NewsForBC view: the Facebook post raises a real public-information problem — huge project lists can look like a veto maze — but the answer is not to reduce First Nations to slogans. Publish the report, publish the corridor, publish the population and governance data, and label the legal duties honestly.

Source trail