Condemnation of comments of WL Mayor W. Cobb re: Residential Schools

Yesterday evening - the Williams Lake Tribune reported on a Facebook post from Williams Lake Mayor Walt Cobb about residential schools/"other side of the story" -- you can read that here

Upon learning of this -- Williams Lake First Nation Kukpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars issued an Open Letter to Williams Lake City Council about Mayor Cobb's Facebook post - read the letter here.  Kukpi7 Sellars has asked for a response from Williams Lake City Council by end of day on Monday, November 1st

The public response to the Facebook post of Mayor Cobb was swift and predictable -- widespread condemnation of the Facebook post.  As of the writing of this post -- the Williams Lake Tribune Facebook page had recorded 103 comments and 103 shares of the Tribune news story

In my opinion - the Facebook post of Mayor Cobb was a "gross error in judgement" and as Kukpi7 Sellars has appropriately noted:

"We (WLFN) can no longer abide the City of Williams Lake, or any of its elected officials, trying to advance a narrative which is a slap in the face to our community, to other First Nations communities, or to the vast majority of Canadians who acknowledge the horror of residential schools and who want to assist with reconciliation"

Put bluntly -- my Cariboo RD Area Alternate Director, Phyllis Webstad, is a residential school survivor and there is NO such thing as "other sides" in residential school horrors, particularly with the news coming from Kamloops and elsewhere across Canada about child graves at residential schools... 

I hope that Williams Lake City Council will reflect appropriately over the weekend and when responding to the letter of Williams Lake First Nation next week, it will do so with true reconciliation between Indigenous and Non Indigenous Canadians in mind -- both in writing and in person...

SF