Councillor Lorrie Williams

446 Kelly Street
New Westminster, BC
V3L 3T9

Phone: 604-521-3416
Fax: 604-523-3416
Email:

Biographical Information

A City Councillor since 2002, Lorrie Williams has been an active educator in New Westminster for over 20 years. Lorrie graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Arts degree and obtained a Masters Degree in Administration from Western Washington University. She has taught both elementary and high school students, including sick kids at Royal Columbian Hospital, and was the former Vice Principal at Lord Kelvin elementary school.

Following a year and a half teaching in East Africa, Lorrie was moved to action by the situation faced by young women. She created the Canadian Harambee Education Society in 1985 which provides sponsorships to high school girls to receive an education. Today over 600 girls are sponsored.

Her commitment to the local community is evident through roles as the past Director of the Royal City Humane Society, President of the New Westminster Symphony Society, first female President of the New Westminster Kiwanis Club, and involvement with the Homeless Coalition. Lorrie’s outstanding service has been recognized with numerous awards including the Avon Woman of Distinction Award, the Humanist Heroine Award from the American Humanist Association, and the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal. Also, Humanist Canada recently named her Humanist of the Year.

Lorrie is Chair of the "Wait for Me Daddy" Memorial Task Force and serves as a member of the New Westminster Library Board, the Remembrance Day Committee and the International Relations Task Force. She is also a Council representative on various committees with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, including the British Columbia Regional Caucus, the Opening Committee of the Whole, the Committee for Increasing Women’s Participation in Municipal Government, the Committee for Increasing Women’s Participation in Municipal Government and the Standing Committee on International Relations.

In addition to her volunteer work, Lorrie is the Provincial Marriage Commissioner for the New Westminster area. Lorrie has a son Glenn, and three grandsons Saber, Austin and Devon.