Crown Drops U of Victoria Trespass Charge Against Pro-Free Speech Academic Frances Widdowson

Frances Widdowson, a former associate professor in the department of economics, justice, and policy studies at Mount Royal University in Calgary, in an undated photo. Courtesy of Frances Widdowson

A trespass prosecution against former Mount Royal professor and free speech advocate Frances Widdowson has been stayed following her arrest last December at the University of Victoria campus.

Widdowson was arrested and received a trespassing citation after being on university property on Dec. 2, 2025, while wearing a billboard referencing the allegations of unmarked graves in Kamloops, B.C., which included the phrase “What remains?”