Williams Lake Tribune Year in Review 2025: Community stories January to June
Published 5:00 am Friday, January 2, 2026
Williams Lake makes top 20 list for liveability in retirement
Published January 8
Williams Lake is a great place to retire, according to a top 20 list published in December by the Globe and Mail.
Looking at cities across Canada for livability, the authors wrote they sought out communities which are “lively, safe and offer ready access to health care” and Williams Lake, B.C. landed at number 17 on the list.
British Columbia dominated the list, and Victoria and North Vancouver were ranked first and second, respectively. B.C. cities took 16 of the top 20 spots.
Read more: Williams Lake makes top 20 list for liveability in retirement
Cariboo woman 7th person ever to undergo innovative neurosurgery
Published Jan. 24
Imagine being awake while a neurosurgeon drills a hole in your skull and then inserts a wire deep into the centre of your brain. Local anaesthetic and the lack of pain receptors on the brain itself mean there is no pain, but instead it is intensely loud inside your head as the vibrations move through the skull to the bones which enable hearing.
“It was fascinating and terrifying at the same time,” said Susan O’Sullivan, only the seventh person to undergo this treatment for a condition she had been living with for nearly two decades.
O’Sullivan was in a second group of patients involved in research on the use of deep brain stimulation therapy to treat spasmodic dysphonia, a chronic neurological condition where a person’s vocal cords stop working properly as a result of muscle spasms. For 17 years, O’Sullivan lived with a hidden disability, and she said having the surgery has changed her life.
Now, O’Sullivan said many people have been fascinated by her story and the research she is a part of, which she hopes can continue to help even more people with a range of brain disorders. “I think we’re on the cusp of understanding the brain a lot more.”
Read more: Cariboo woman 7th person ever to undergo innovative neurosurgery
Oscar nomination brings validation and tears of joy for Williams Lake First Nation
Published Jan. 25, 2025
Kúkpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars of Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) gave a loud shout as the word ‘Sugarcane’ appeared on his phone, confirming the film’s Oscar nomination for best documentary feature.
“I just started crying, good tears, tears of joy,” Sellars said on the day the Oscar nominations for the 2025 Academy Awards were announced. He said his emotions were a culmination of five years of hard work as Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie documented WLFN’s investigation into the former St. Joseph’s Mission residential school (SJM) which operated nearby.
Looking solemn, proud and emotional, Sellars said he felt blessed and validated.
In March, a group of WLFN leaders and the filmmakers behind the documentary Sugarcane attended the 2025 Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with Kukpi7 Sellars dancing a blessing in front of the Oscars banner. In the end, the Oscar was taken home by the Israeli-Palestinian film No Other Land.
Read more: Oscar nomination brings validation and tears of joy for Williams Lake First Nation
Read more: Williams Lake First Nation celebrates Oscars ceremony
Cariboo actor goes from death, addiction, to on-screen success
Published Jan. 31
North of North series star Kelly William is riding a wave of success, rising up from major challenges after experiencing both injury and addiction.
At just 19 years old, William was in a vehicle crash which left him largely broken from the ribs down. He was a junior hockey player at the time of the car crash and his life changed completely.
“In my darkest years, I was literally lost in alcoholism and drug abuse,” he said, recounting a descent into deep depression. But during the pandemic, William found sobriety and began the road back to himself.
Despite managing to quit “cold turkey,” he credits his recovery to the support of close friends and family including Chief Willie Sellars of Williams Lake First Nation. William then returned to pursuing his long-held dream of becoming an actor. He is quick to credit his friend and mentor actor William Belleau with helping him believe a career in acting was even possible.
He now finds himself in a lead role in the Netflix series North of North., and in April 2025, Netflix announced a second season was in the works for North of North.
Read more: Cariboo actor goes from death, addiction, to on-screen success
75 years and counting for Walk Rite Shoes in Williams Lake
Published Feb. 1
Walk Rite Shoes is celebrating 75 years in Williams Lake.
The store first opened March 1950 in the same location it is today on Oliver Street. In 2014, Melanie Ablitt and her husband Troy Ablitt purchased the business from Marion Mortenson who had owned the store for 36 years. Mortenson purchased it in February 1978 from John and Edie Burkowski.
Two years after they bought it, the Ablitts opened a second store in Prince George 2016, then in Quesnel in 2018.
“The footwear business has been extremely fun,” Melanie said. One of their biggest challenges about owning the retail business so far has been the ups and downs of the economy during the last decade, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the years, customers have told her stories about shopping at the store which she really enjoys hearing about. Her own mom told her that her first pair of boots were purchased at Walk Rite. “I’m excited, happy and proud that it is still going,” she said.
Read more: 75 years and counting for Walk-Rite Shoes in Williams Lake
New podcast explores why art is made in the Cariboo
Published March 20
A career as an artist can be a challenging one, not to mention doing so in small, rural communities. Despite that, B.C.’s Cariboo is bursting with life when it comes to creativity, with artists of all kinds showing their colours.
A new video podcast called Colours of Cariboo explores this idea, inviting its audience in on eight interviews with local artists to understand why they create art in the Cariboo. Created by Rohan Keenan, a local artist who was born and raised on a small farm in the Horsefly area, the podcast opens a conversation around the unique experience of art and its creation in smaller communities.
The podcast premiered in April on TELUS Optik TV, Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stream+ and the STORYHIVE YouTube channel, anbd Keenan is now working on a second season.
Read more: New podcast explores why art is made in the Cariboo
Horsefly Follies to return to Cariboo stage
Published March 28
The legendary Horsefly Follies are returning to the stage this spring after a 12-year hiatus with The Follie’s Revival.
The group, which began in 1983 as the Horsefly Glee Club and then became the Horsefly Musical Theatre Group, a.k.a. The Horsefly Follies, was a popular almost-annual attraction in the area for 30 years. In 2013, the group stopped performing, but now has risen once again to bring light and laughter to the Horsefly community.
Director Suzanne Englund is one of the veteran Follies returning to help get the group back up and running, noting is it not only a fun thing to be a part of but also a “really, really great fundraiser for the community.”
Read more: Horsefly Follies to return to Cariboo stage
‘All she needed was love’: bench honours Williams Lake woman
Published May 26
For nearly a year and a half, Stuart Westie has been wondering how best to pay tribute to his dear friend Cheryl Folden.
After meeting Folden panhandling outside of a local grocery store, Westie felt like she was someone who needed more than spare change. Over time, he got to know her and eventually offered his friend his spare room. For eight months the two cohabitated in his home, but on January 8, 2024, Cheryl Folden died, succumbing to years of drug addiction and trauma.
Westie was heartbroken she was gone, but he was also angry. He was angry the society which left her to be abused and neglected as a child then did little to help the adult she became. He wrote a brutally honest and raw obituary, which garnered attention and an outpouring of empathy. Westie also planned a memorial for Folden, settling on a bench which will also include storyboards sharing some of his friend’s story and the legacy she leaves behind.
Cheryl Folden inspired Westie and countless others, and now Westie hopes she can continue to inspire the community to reach out and show kindness. “All she needed was love,” said Westie. “I’m really happy I’m doing it, but I’m really sad Cheryl isn’t here,” he said.
The bench was installed and a celebration was held in Herb Gardner Park in May.
Read more: ‘All she needed was love’: bench honours Williams Lake woman
