Share Wa’xaid Cecil Paul passed away on Dec. 3, leaving a legacy that includes the preservation of 325,000 hectares of coastal temperate rainforest in the Kitlope River valley near Kitimat, B.C. Photo: Callum Gunn Profile ‘Hero of the planet’: remembering the life and legacy of Wa’xaid Cecil Paul The Xenaksiala Elder survived residential school and went on to lead the battle to protect B.C.’s Kitlope valley with quiet conviction 13 min read Wa is ‘the river;’ Wa’xaid Cecil Paul, a Xenaksiala Elder, always introduced himself this way. He was 90 years old when he passed away on Dec. 3.