Williams Lake
City in British Columbia, CanadaWikipedia
78
MENTIONS
39
EPISODES
33
PODCASTS
Search complete. 78 mentions across 39 episodes found for "Williams Lake".
Oct 3, 2026
Mike McDonaldHOST
I think, as Mike DeYoung said, I think Simon Gibson's probably been on Abbotsford Council for most of the last century.
Mike McDonaldHOST
um Walt Cobb is back again he's challenging the incumbent mayor surrender Paul Rother and Williams Lake Walt has been mayor I think on two different occasions in between there was an MLA um they just can't keep Walt away from an election that's for sure uh and then up in Cornell Corley Oaks is running former MLA is running against the incumbent Ron Paul so I'm probably missing a few, but I always keep an eye on these old MLAs, uh, popping back up again.
Mike McDonaldHOST
Uh, you know, I just can't keep them away.
Mike McDonaldHOST
Um, Oh, Tom Shapitka is running in, uh, Cranbrook.
Phyllis WebstadGUEST
I just turned 59.
Phyllis WebstadGUEST
So in Williams Lake in particular and other places, They graduated with K-12 knowledge of what happened to us through Orange Shirt Day, and we're going to have a big celebration.
Phyllis WebstadGUEST
And I want to have them over a few years across Canada, so we're figuring Toronto maybe in about three years, because it takes time to... to plan these events.
Mary BergHOST
Plan a big event, 100%.
Rick HansenGUEST
And probably the biggest moment in time for me was when I was actually at the University of British Columbia.
Rick HansenGUEST
You know, I was only able to go home to Williams Lake or to the university by learning how to hop on crutches and braces.
Rick HansenGUEST
And it was really slow, very cumbersome, but it made me feel less disabled.
Rick HansenGUEST
And in reality, trying to get from class to class a kilometer apart, carrying a 25 pound pack, showing up late and then having to leave early to get to the next class was not sustainable.
Jas JohalHOST
If you lived in this province in 1987, you remember the day Rick Hansen came home, May 22nd.
Jas JohalHOST
Streets lined with people, that song blasting out of every car radio, and a kid from Williams Lake rolling back into Vancouver after 26 months, 34 countries and more than 40,000 kilometers in a wheelchair.
Jas JohalHOST
We all remember the finish line.
Jas JohalHOST
What we never saw was everything that nearly kept him from reaching it.
James CousineauHOST
In 1973, Phyllis, a northern Shuswap girl from the First Nations up in that region, and I'm sorry, I'm not going to name names, the First Nations because I don't want to offend anybody with my poor pronunciation.
James CousineauHOST
But she was just six years old when she was sent away to the St. Joseph's Mission Residential School, and that's located near Williams Lake in British Columbia.
James CousineauHOST
Her grandmother, living on modest means at the time, wanted her granddaughter to feel valued and to be proud.
James CousineauHOST
So she saved what money she had and bought Phyllis a bright, shiny orange shirt from from the local store, and it was laced with strings on the front.
James CousineauHOST
You belong to the institution now.
James CousineauHOST
For decades, Phyllis carried the memory of that orange shirt in silence.
James CousineauHOST
But in May of 2013, during the St. Joseph's Mission Residential School Commemoration Project and reunion in Williams Lake, Phyllis stood before the community and shared her story.
James CousineauHOST
Now that single, honest recollection struck a chord that rippled across Canada.
Jas JohalHOST
That's 300 people.
Jas JohalHOST
And coming from a small mill town like Williams Lake, that makes a big difference in a small community like that.
Jas JohalHOST
Never mind the billions of dollars that are going to flow to Ottawa and Victoria and even the municipalities as well.
Jas JohalHOST
50 billion, by the way, for the entire community.
Gavin DewGUEST
Uh, you know, he used to ride rodeo.
Gavin DewGUEST
Uh, ran small businesses for 30 years in Williams Lake.
Gavin DewGUEST
Uh, you know, I think having visited his riding and spent time with him, you know, he's got respect from, uh, the guys with the gun racks on the pickup trucks, and he's got respect from the social services providers that are working to address, uh, the challenges, uh, in downtown Williams Lake.
Gavin DewGUEST
So it's...
Gavin DewGUEST
He's a pretty incredible guy.
Kyoko AngelaGUEST
and really grateful to have this opportunity to share words in the spirit of truth and reconciliation.
Kyoko AngelaGUEST
And the origin of this day, September 30th, began in Williams Lake, Orange Shirt Day, on September 30, 2013, which was established to honor residential school survivors, their families, and those who never returned home, serving as a reminder of the lasting impacts of the residential school system.
Kyoko AngelaGUEST
And what began as a grassroots initiative has evolved into a nationally recognized movement with individuals, organizations, and communities across Canada participating in acts of remembrance, reflection, and reconciliation each year.
Kyoko AngelaGUEST
And part of this is taken from the Orange Shirt Society site.
Kyoko AngelaGUEST
Phyllis Jack Webstad was part of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School Commemoration Project and reunion event that took place in Williams Lake in 2013 and she shared her story of her first day at residential school when her shiny new orange shirt bought by her grandmother was taken from her as a six-year-old girl.
Kyoko AngelaGUEST
Her bright orange shirt symbolized love, excitement, and belonging.
Kyoko AngelaGUEST
And when it was taken away, it represented how the system tries to strip away identity, culture, and the fundamental truth that every child matters.
Laz VagezHOST
I'm going to just say I'm wearing an orange shirt because we're filming on September 30th, and that marks National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.
Laz VagezHOST
It began in Williams Lake, British Columbia, on September 30th, 2013, established to honor residential school survivors, their family, and those who never returned home.
Laz VagezHOST
It serves as a powerful reminder of the lasting impacts of the residential school system.
Laz VagezHOST
And when I was in Catholic school, I didn't know that motherfuckers was holding up these guys and killing them and putting them underneath the fucking school.
Taya FastCORRESPONDENT
Phyllis Webb's dad is a third generation residential school survivor and co-founder of Orange Shirt Society.
Taya FastCORRESPONDENT
Webb's dad went to St. Joseph Mission Indian Residential School near Williams Lake from 1973 until 1974.
Taya FastCORRESPONDENT
Her story has become the symbol of a national movement.
Phyllis WebstadSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
So when I turned six, my grandmother brought me to Williams Lake to buy something new to wear for school and I chose a bright orange shirt.
Taya FastCORRESPONDENT
13 years later, her story has grown far beyond one community.
Taya FastCORRESPONDENT
It needs to
20 MINS LATER
MarkPANELIST
Well, it's a day tomorrow that we'll have some clouds mixed with a bit of sunshine and And on the mild side, 15 to up to 18 degrees.
MarkPANELIST
Cooler in the northern part of this map.
29 more episodes mention Williams Lake.
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