Billiam James

Billiam James is an artist, writer and designer. In 2013, he helped his wife, Franke James, get her younger sister, Teresa Heartchild, out of a nursing home and brought her to live with them. Together, they helped Teresa ask for an apology for the wrongful institutionalization. After two years of campaigning, the Ontario Minister of Health publicly apologized to Teresa.

Billiam combines storytelling, visual art, music, and social activism to effect change. Over the past three decades, he has produced creative work about disability rights, mental health, climate change, and free speech. He lives in Vancouver, BC, with Franke and his sister-in-law Teresa.