Overview

Janice Williams was born in Alberta to working class parents who ultimately divorced and returned to school as adults and who co-parented Janice and her younger brother and older sister. She left Alberta for Victoria, British Columbia at the age 17 to commence studies at the University of Victoria. Janice worked while studying, often in excess of 30 hours per week as hostess at local restaurant, the copy editor for the Martlet, and as a telephone surveyor. She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Economics in May 2000. After graduation Janice worked for the Employment Standards Branch as an Employment Standards Officer and pursued graduate studies in Economics. She participated in the cooperative education program through the University of Victoria and did work terms with Tourism BC and the Ministry of Forests. She then obtained a position with the Canada Industrial Relations Board in Vancouver and worked as a Labour Relations Officer until 2003. She completed her Masters of Arts in Economics from the University of Victoria in May 2004. She worked as a consulting economist in Vancouver until obtaining a position as an economist with the Vital Statistics Agency in August 2004. She continued to work with the Ministry of Health until 2014, when she moved to the Ministry of Education where she continued to work as a Senior Economist until December 2016. In July 2016, she worked part time in support of her husband’s business, shifting to full time efforts in January 2016. Janice also instructed a continuing studies course (Economics of Occupational Health and Safety) through the University of Victoria from 2004 until May 2021.

Community Advocacy

Janice Williams has been active community member who has engaged on issues of importance to her and her community. Janice has been a Women’s health advocate and has worked in the area of maternal health, blogging about maternal health at Awaiting Juno and helping to found the Cesarean by Choice Awareness Network that provides support to women who choose cesarean. 

In 2017 Janice Williams was involved with the neighborhood group that formed in response to the City’s proposal to build a waste water treatment plant at Clover Point. The neighborhood group was successful in advocating that Clover Point Park pump station should remain a pump station and should be returned to park use after construction was completed. Janice is disappointed and responsive to community concerns that the changes made to Clover Point after completion of the Wastewater Treatment Project were not in accordance with the results of the community consultation that was done before the project commenced.

In 2020 Janice Williams, helped to address resident concerns in her neighborhood regarding abuse of parking on Dallas Road. She was effective in getting the city to enforce it’s bylaws, at least until COVID 19 hit. As a result of COVID 19, Janice was again engaged with a community group that formed in response to the City’s decision to permit 24/7 sheltering in Beacon Hill Park. She engaged with the Friends of Beacon Hill Park and supported their endeavors to hold the city to account for their violation of the trust that governs Beacon Hill Park and undertook to raise awareness of the issue and support residents in their concerns.

In 2021 Janice Williams worked with another community group, “Rethink Richardson” – and despite her efforts and that of the group, Richardson was closed to through traffic. As a result of that closure, there have been a range of impacts on the surrounding community. Janice continues to listen to the surrounding community in the hopes that a better balanced solution may be realized.

Personal Interests and Background

Janice currently lives in Fairfield with her husband, Darren and their children. She is a step mother to two adult aged children who are now studying abroad, and is a mother to two school aged children. Their home is also home to a dog named Lexi, a hedgehog named Paprika and a love bird named Mango. In her spare time Janice enjoys engaging on politics, writing, baking, and spending time with her family.