Activist arrested at UBC after clashing with counter-protesters
Frances Widdowson has been arrested at B.C. universities twice in the past two months
Last updated 21 hours ago
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A woman who claims a “reconciliation industry” is at work in Canada was arrested at the University of British Columbia on Thursday, a month after being arrested at the University of Victoria.
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She was later released with no charges laid.
B.C. RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Vanessa Munn said officers attended campus on Thursday morning to monitor public safety after B.C. MLA Dallas Brodie and author/activist Frances Widdowson had arranged an “event” at that time, outside UBC’s Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.
Brodie has challenged claims that First Nations children are buried at the old Kamloops Residential School, while Widdowson has written the books Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry and Indigenizing the University.
When the pair and some supporters arrived on campus they were vastly outnumbered by counter protesters, with video footage taken from the scene showing a tense standoff.
Widdowson was carried from the scene by an RCMP officer and placed in a police cruiser and driven away, while Brodie and her followers were herded into the UBC Aquatic Centre by police and taken from the scene by bus.
“Officers maintained a visible presence to support a peaceful environment and to respond if required,” Munn said.
“During the course of the event, a group in protest of the event was also present. The situation escalated to a point where police intervention became necessary to maintain public safety. As a result, the involved parties were separated to prevent further escalation.
“One individual was arrested and has since been released without charges.”
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UBC told The Canadian Press that when it “became clear that there were potential safety risks” Brodie’s group was told to leave.
“As the visitors were not following these instructions, RCMP then facilitated their departure from campus,” the statement said.
Widdowson was arrested at the University of Victoria on Dec. 2, 2025, while conducting an unsanctioned event on campus that also led to a clash with counter-protesters.
The UVic event was also hosted by Brodie, and Widdowson was not charged.
Widdowson is a former associate professor at Calgary’s Mount Royal University who was fired in 2021 following criticism of her comments on the residential school system and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs says calls to exhume remains of children on residential school sites are a red herring and “blatantly disregard the abundance of well-documented archeological, archival and testimonial evidence which demonstrate that First Nations children died under abusive conditions at residential schools across Canada.”
With files from the Times Colonist
