190. The Kamloops Controversy: One Year Later | Frances Widdowson

The Kamloops mass grave controversy is back in the headlines, and this time the update is even more shocking than the first. I sat down again with Frances Widdowson, the professor who was wrongfully dismissed from Mount Royal University for questioning the official narrative around the Kamloops residential school claims, and what she shared this time left me speechless. One year after our first conversation, Frances updates us on her ongoing legal battle for reinstatement, the excavation that still has not happened despite millions of dollars in public funding, and a shocking new development where she was handcuffed and removed from a university campus simply for trying to have a conversation with students. Frances has spent years researching Indigenous policy in Canada and is currently working on a documentary series exposing the institutional failures behind the Kamloops case. She is one of the few academics willing to ask hard questions in a climate where asking questions can cost you your career, and her courage and conviction are something every one of us can learn from. If you have ever wondered what it costs to stand for truth, or if you needed a reminder that faith and conviction can carry you through even the hardest battles, this conversation is for you. Listen in, and let me know in the comments what stood out to you most.

Frances and I first talked about the Kamloops residential school controversy about a year ago, and I wanted to have her back on to give us an honest update on where things actually stand. Frances is a professor who was let go from Mount Royal University after she started asking questions about the ground penetrating radar findings at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, and she has spent the time since fighting through the courts for her reinstatement while continuing to dig into the facts of this case. In this conversation we talk about the twelve point one million dollars that was given to the Kamloops band for excavations back in 2021, and the fact that no excavation has happened to this day. We talk about what ground penetrating radar can and cannot actually tell you, and why so many people jumped to conclusions before any physical evidence was found. Frances also shares what happened to her at the University of Lethbridge, where she was declared a safety risk and removed from campus in handcuffs simply for trying to meet with students for a conversation. We talk about her documentary work with Simon Hergott, the new film called Grave Error that she is working on to document the institutional failures across universities, media, and government that allowed this story to spread unchecked. We also get into her broader research on what she calls the Aboriginal industry, the lawyers and consultants she says are profiting from unresolved claims while real needs in Aboriginal communities go unmet. Frances speaks candidly about the personal cost of standing by her convictions, from losing her job to being physically removed from a university she was invited to. This is a conversation about truth, courage, and what it means to keep showing up even when the cost is high. If academic freedom, the Kamloops residential school story, or the search for honest answers in the reconciliation conversation matter to you, this episode is worth your time.

Find more from Frances:
https://youtu.be/PE6OEpz0xyQ
https://fundrazr.com/52XKmf?ref=ab_63AIcaxpJgN63AIcaxpJgN

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