Williams Lake hit the mainstream media with three stories last week. The celebration of Orange Shirt and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was a positive story. The death of a young firefighter, a very sad one. The land slippage at Terra Ridge is scary.
Jaxon Billyboy-Bowe, 19, from the Tl’etinqox First Nation was returning from fighting wildfires in the Fort St. James area when he and three other firefighters were killed in a vehicle crash on Highway 1, south of Cache Creek, on Sept. 19. Our condolences to his family and to the people of his community.
The land slippage at Terra Ridge caused four homes to be evacuated and the remaining residences are on evacuation notice. The city has declared a State of Local Emergency. This is a terrible situation for the residents of the area. What can the community do to help? It will be interesting to see what the senior governments do about it.
By all accounts the three-day celebration of the 10th anniversary of Orange Shirt Day was a big success, ending with a full day of events at the Stampede grounds on National Truth and Reconciliation Day, Sept. 30. Orange Shirt Day began with local resident Phyllis Webstad who started the campaign calling attention to her experiences at St. Joseph’s Mission. The story grew, and the Orange Shirt Society was formed. Their concept of “Every Child Matters” is now known across Canada and we have National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to educate and remind Canadians about the history of residential schools, to honour the victims, and celebrate the survivors. Good work, Phyllis.
That’s the local news. Province-wide it seems that along with COVID, wildfires are still with us. Although fire season usually ends in October, over 140 fires are still burning across B.C.