BCmiut is an Inuit‑led, urban non‑profit society supporting the wellbeing, culture, and visibility of Inuit living in British Columbia. The suffix miut (pronounced mee-oot) means “the people of” in Inuit dialects. BCmiut reflects who we are: the Inuit who make our lives here in B.C.
Approximately 21,825 Inuit, or 31% of over 70,000 Inuit in Canada, now live outside Inuit Nunangat, including an estimated 2,188 Inuit in British Columbia. Migration to B.C. is shaped by education, employment, health access, family ties, and by ongoing impacts of colonial policies such as forced TB relocations, Indian Hospitals, residential schools, and mandatory southern schooling.
Urban Inuit increasingly describe themselves as forming a “Fifth Region”, a shared experience not reflected in Inuit Nunangat governance structures or provincial pan‑Indigenous approaches. There is recognition of a fifth Inuit region by Statutes of Canada 2019. Chapter 24. An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis children, youth and families. According to Tungasuvvingat Inuit, (Ottawa TI) on April 10, 2019 in reference to Bill C-92, an Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis children, youth, and families.Non-Nunangat Inuit are defined as: the Fifth Region, Non -Nunangat Inuit region.
BCmiut strives to fill this gap locally by offering Inuit-specific connection, cultural grounding, and support rooted in Inuit values. We strive to ensure Inuit in B.C. are visible, included, and supported in the places we live.
Our Story
After years of encouragement for Inuit in BC to organize ourselves, this work began with a simple Facebook group called “Inuit Living in BC”—a virtual space where Inuit could connect, share, and support one another. During the covid 19 pandemic, Inuit in BC, joined online gatherings hosted by Inuit organizations in Ontario, Manitoba and Alaska. At these gatherings, were other Inuit living in B.C. including those we had met virtually through the Facebook group. Inspired by these connections, Inuit in B.C. began hosting our own virtual gatherings, and eventually in person gatherings.
Growing Into a Collective Voice
As these relationships deepened, we also found ourselves responding collectively to questions. Messages that once came to each of us individually – from friends, colleagues, professionals about Inuit culture, services, and Inuit-specific perspectives – became shared conversations within our group, and eventually shared meetings. What begun as a natural, caring Inuit network of informal mutual support has grown into a shared sense of responsibility: Inuit in BC need a collective voice and a place that reflects our own experiences of living outside Inuit Nunangat. This understanding brought us together in a new and intentional way.
Forming BCmiut
On May 2, 2023, after years of informal connection and collaboration, the Inuit Collective Society of BCmiut was officially founded. Our Facebook group has grown to 284 members, reflecting only a portion of our wider community. Today, and together, Inuit in BC form a strong, diverse, and vibrant community – living, learning, raising families and carrying our culture forward across on the homelands of the local First Nations where each of us live.
Our Work Today
Since our founding, all of BCmiut’s work has been carried out entirely by volunteers, each balancing responsibilities to family, community, culture and our own lives and careers.
The pathway of Inuit data governance we are on today is made possible through our partnership with the Office of the Provincial Health Officer and the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, where Stephanie Papik completed a Fellowship Program in the fall of 2025. This work is still evolving, and we look forward to sharing more findings and outcomes with our community as this journey continues. Subscribe to our page to keep updated along the way.