Ruth Lloyd
VoteOct 17DonateGet involved

Williams Lake City Council · 2026

Ruth Lloyd

Truth and transparency. What every taxpayer deserves.

Voting day is Saturday, October 17, 2026
Ruth Lloyd in a red jacket and cap beside a lake, with wooded hills behind her

Williams Lake

Born and raised in Williams Lake.

I am running because I believe Williams Lake is a great place to live.

With thoughtful planning, strong community connections and positive action, we can build on what works and address the challenges ahead.

Ruth Lloyd smiling in a plaid shirt against a blue background

You might know Ruth from

  • Citizens on PatrolOut in our community meeting and keeping people safe at all hours, and supporting parades and events, with Williams Lake Community Policing.
  • Streets for All Williams LakeA founder, advocating for safer streets so people of all ages and abilities can move safely, whether walking, cycling, using a mobility device or driving.
  • Safer walking and cyclingGoByBike events, the City's Active Transportation Working Group, and helping with Williams Lake's Active Transportation Network.
  • BGC Williams Lake Club Youth Mountain Bike ProgramRuth helps lead this mountain bike program for local kids with BGC Williams Lake Club (formerly Boys and Girls Club Williams Lake).
  • Field Naturalists and Garden ClubA member of the Williams Lake Field Naturalists and the Williams Lake Garden Club.
  • Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation SocietyWhere Ruth works today. The Society has spent three decades working with the community on stewardship and sustainability across our region.
  • Local journalismYears spent listening to people, asking questions and learning about the issues shaping Williams Lake and the Cariboo Chilcotin.

Or from historic Cariboo places like Lake Hardware on Oliver Street, Irly Bird Building Supply and Dog Creek Airport, or spots still here today like Carlson Park.

Read her family’s story

What Ruth will work on

Taking positive action to move our community forward.

Long-term planning and responsible finances

Spend in line with the long-term plans residents have already asked for, and leave future councils able to handle whatever comes next.

In Ruth’s words

The City’s financial decisions should support the long-term priorities residents have identified through plans such as the Official Community Plan. If we want to achieve the vision residents have told us they want for Williams Lake, our financial decisions need to reflect that vision.

This will not always be an easy shift to make in uncertain economic times, but we need longer-term planning, not reactionary budgeting, to ensure we’re ready for what tomorrow could bring.

You don’t spend your savings just before the storm comes, and a city shouldn’t be paying debts to score election points when our forest industry is being hit with a trade war.

Our community is closely connected to the forest sector, and economic uncertainty makes careful financial planning especially important. Decisions made today need to leave future councils and future residents with the capacity to respond to changing conditions.

A resilient local economy

With hard times ahead for the forest industry, invest in the things that make people want to live, work and stay here.

In Ruth’s words

With forest industry financial challenges ahead, we need to invest in making our community resilient and attractive to the people who live and work here.

Employers need to be able to recruit and retain workers. Families need housing, safe neighbourhoods, recreation, transportation options and a community where they can see a future.

Thoughtful planning and strategic investment can help Williams Lake remain a place where people want to build careers, raise families, start businesses and stay for the long term.

Practical action on complex problems

Bring people together, follow the evidence, set clear goals, and focus on what the City can actually do.

In Ruth’s words

Complex problems are not solved with rhetoric and finger-pointing. Council needs to bring people together, understand the evidence, establish clear goals and focus on actions that fall within municipal authority.

For issues that extend beyond the City’s jurisdiction, Williams Lake needs strong advocacy and productive relationships with First Nations, the Cariboo Regional District, senior governments, service providers and community organizations.

Progress can be made through positive actions, not negative storytelling that drives citizens from our downtown and leaves limited RCMP resources and businesses to deal with the fallout.

I care deeply about Williams Lake because this is home.

Ruth Lloyd

How to vote

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Williams Lake elects a mayor and six councillors for a four-year term. You can vote for up to six councillors.

Make Ruth one of your six. Mark her name alongside the other councillors you choose.

Voting day: Oct. 17
Saturday, October 17, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Vote early
Wednesday, October 7 and Wednesday, October 14, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at City Hall, 450 Mart Street.
Where
Voting day (Oct. 17): Marie Sharpe Elementary School gym, 260 Cameron Street. Voting early (Oct. 7 and 14): City Hall, 450 Mart Street.
Who can vote
You can register right when you vote, at any voting opportunity. You can vote if you're 18 or older, a Canadian citizen, have lived in B.C. for six months, and live in Williams Lake, whether you rent or own. People who own property here but live elsewhere in B.C. may also qualify.
What to bring
Two pieces of ID that show who you are and that you live in Williams Lake. At least one must have your signature. Photo ID isn't needed. Examples: driver's licence, BC Services Card, CareCard, a utility bill, a property tax notice, or a bank or credit card.
By mail
Anyone who qualifies can vote by mail. Ask for a mail ballot package by October 2 so there's time to mail it; after that, pick one up at City Hall. Your ballot must reach the City by 8 p.m. on October 17. Contact 250‑392‑1773 or elections@williamslake.ca.
Curbside voting
Curbside voting is available at every voting opportunity for people who can't easily go inside. Call the City at 250‑392‑1773 to arrange it.

From the City of Williams Lake. Questions about voting: call the City at 250‑392‑1773 or email elections@williamslake.ca.

City of Williams Lake election page

Second-life signs.

Every one of Ruth's lawn signs is a reused sign: old signs with new stickers, on wooden stakes. No new plastic.

After October 17, volunteers will collect the signs so they can be used again.

Get involved

Get a lawn sign or lend a hand.

Help your neighbour get elected. A sign on your lawn, an hour at the doors, or just updates: pick whatever suits you.

All we need is your name and one way to reach you.

I’d like… (choose any)

How can we reach you? Email or phone. One is enough.

Street address, with unit or rural route if you have one.

City rules: signs go on private property, or on the boulevard right in front of a home with the owner's OK. They must be at least 3 metres from a fire hydrant, and come down by October 21. City sign rules

Add a neighbourhood or a question for Ruth (optional)

Ruth’s campaign uses this only to contact you about the 2026 election. We never sell or share it. Privacy

Ruth’s family story

Deep roots in Williams Lake.

Building the town

My great-grandfather, George Carlson, started Irly Bird Building Supply, now Home Hardware, and helped construct many buildings around town. Carlson Park in Westridge is part of my family's legacy of giving back to the community, thanks to my great-uncle Len Carlson.

Lake Hardware on Oliver Street

My Grandad Garth Lloyd ran Lake Hardware on Oliver Street, where he sold everything from hardware to fishing rods and guns. My grandmother, Margaret Lloyd, was a dedicated community volunteer.

Dog Creek Airport

My Grandad Gordon Bedford worked at the Dog Creek Airport, moving there with his young family for the job and later moving to the Williams Lake Airport when Dog Creek Airport closed. My grandmother, Ina Bedford, worked as a bookkeeper for businesses in the community.

Raised here

My father owned and operated a construction business for decades. My mom worked at Cariboo College and later Thompson Rivers University. Both retired here and continue to be active in the community. I graduated from Columneetza Senior Secondary School and attended the University of Victoria.

A decade on the fire line

I then worked seasonally as a forest firefighter for a decade. I saw many remote corners of the Cariboo Chilcotin, both through my work and through backcountry recreation.

Coming home in 2020

After completing journalism school in Calgary, I spent part of my career away from Williams Lake before eventually coming home. In 2020, I returned, drawn home by my family, this community and the extraordinary quality of life our region offers, including incredible access to outdoor recreation.

Ruth Lloyd smiling while riding a red bicycle, wearing a helmet and red jacket

A sustainable, thriving community where people feel safe and connected.

I have family throughout the area that you'll meet in logging blocks, hockey arenas, at rodeos, and in Indigenous communities.

I grew up picking berries, going to hockey rinks, hiking up mountains and skiing down them, from the Cariboo Mountains to the Coast, with plenty of time spent across the Chilcotin Plateau. I want young people growing up here today to have those same opportunities to experience wild places and a healthy natural environment.

As a biologist, I understand the importance of healthy ecosystems and sustainable watersheds. I also understand that sustainability includes how we build our city, manage infrastructure and plan for growth.

Williams Lake needs thoughtful development that serves residents, protects the things we value and creates a community where people of every age can live and move safely.

With a diverse background in biology, forest firefighting, environmental and cultural consulting, journalism and non-profit organizations, I bring a broad range of experience that I believe would make me a productive member of Williams Lake City Council.

I want to bring curiosity, accountability, practical experience and a willingness to listen to City Council. I believe in taking positive action, and that begins with people working together, making thoughtful decisions and staying focused on the community we want to build for the future.

Ruth’s values: accountability, connection and community.

Talk to Ruth

Questions, ideas or worries about Williams Lake are always welcome.

Emailruth@ruthlloyd.ca

SocialFacebook Instagram

Get involvedDonate