Leaders on western Vancouver Island are calling for an alternative road after multiple wildfires have closed the lone road into communities in recent years. Here’s a look at the options they’re proposing, and the impact current access challenges have had: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Police officers with the Victoria, BC, police department appear to be asking a new, internal AI chatbot for legal advice and policing information.

so without access to naloxone, in the five-year study period (2019-2024), the study estimates that over 60,000 people would have died here in B.C. 12,356 people did die. this is important article by @thatemfagan.bsky.social and I'm going to go on about it #BCpoli www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

One of the victims of Canada's most prolific voyeur shared her story publicly for the first time in an interview with me, along with her calls for a reform of the justice system to prevent future cases like this. Full story: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Bowled over by this piece by @emmapaling.bsky.social, who's been reporting from the Moss Park safe consumption site for 18 months and was there the day the closure was announced. Her story about the last days of a life-saving hub is the best thing I've read in a while. thelocal.to/moss-park-sa...

Community members are calling for more transparency from the Saanich Police Department following a case of voyeurism where hundreds of victims remain unidentified, causing anxiety for potential victims and their families. My latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Great behind the scenes look here at the collapse of the BC Gov's case against the Greater Victoria School Board www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

It's the most prolific case of voyeurism in Canadian history. Group chats and FB groups all asked the same question: How can you know if you're a victim if you don't know where this man did his filming? We have some answers now thanks to @thatemfagan.bsky.social digging into court records:

Filming through bedroom windows. Following school children. These are among the new details I’ve found in what officials say is Canada’s most prolific voyeurism case. It casts light on the extent of the secret filming of 600+ women and girls, and the community toll. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Minister Beare keeps saying the failure to produce documents was "inadvertent" The judge in the case seems...doubtful #bcpoli

Worth noting this type of embarrassment may be a thing of the past for the BC government In future, these types of documents may be covered by cabinet confidence and unavailable to those requesting reviews of government decisions Bill 16 received royal assent on May 21 #bcpoli

B.C. AG Niki Sharma says people deserve to know whether they may be among the at least 652 women and girls filmed by a Saanich man convicted of voyeurism and making child sexual abuse material. She's among those calling for police to be more transparent. My latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

For the fifth year, deaths of people experiencing homelessness in BC are on the rise. I talked to the chief coroner and frontline workers about the factors they’re seeing contribute to this, and what needs to be done to prevent further deaths. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

B.C. is NOT building the housing so the people deprived of housing are dying this is an important article by @thatemfagan.bsky.social look at this photo of a street memorial www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

new from me, at @thewalrus.ca: it is, in fact, a big deal! thewalrus.ca/the-new-york...

Today we’re publishing an important investigative story by Emily Enns. This story maps the connections between a group of mostly retired academics and think tanks to sow doubt about the historical truths of residential schools in Canada. thetyee.ca/News/2026/05...

Tourism and festival industry organizers say the increased demands of new security guidelines in the wake of the Lapu Lapu Day attack, as well as rising costs, have resulted in significant strain — particularly on small community events. My latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Our first investigation is nearly two years in the making, as our reporters @godfrey.bsky.social and @emmaarkell.bsky.social began digging into this story in mid-2024, starting with questions about a TransLink fare evasion enforcement blitz. www.defactomedia.ca/vpd-immigrat...

This International Workers’ Day, we're putting media back in workers’ hands. De Facto Journalism Co-op is a new non-profit of 6 worker-owners producing in-depth journalism focused on justice issues and systems of power. To get our first investigations next week, subscribe here: defactomedia.ca

A bi-weekly meeting of several BC ministries, industry regulators and the RCMP's CRU-BC protest policing unit has been keeping tabs on "ongoing climate action initiatives and treaty negotiations," according to a January update. My latest for @thetyee.ca. thetyee.ca/News/2026/04...

The Tsitika River watershed on northeast Vancouver Island is home to ancient rainforests and abundant wildlife. Last year, BC quietly removed a large tract from its old-growth deferral list. Now 24 hectares are slated for logging. @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2026/04...

It's been a year since B.C.'s premier committed to reviewing the Mental Health Act after the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy — but there's still no progress or info on when the review may begin. I looked into why this review has been called for, and the stakes for getting it right. tinyurl.com/4pz7nxhu

First Nations leaders say B.C. hasn’t made much progress in preventing outsized impact of toxic drug crisis by @thatemfagan.bsky.social #publichealth #harmreduction #toxicdrugs #healthequity www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

What’s the difference between a coroner’s inquest and a public inquiry, and why are some pushing for both in the case of Tumbler Ridge? I thought it might help to break down these two types of investigations, and the paths to finding answers that they could take: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Absolutely wild. WSJ reporting that some OpenAI staffers thought the Tumbler Ridge shooter's use of ChatGPT raised the potential of real world violence but leadership decided not to alert RCMP. www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...

In its new report on the Hastings forced evictions, the BC Human Rights Commissioner just identified a, uh, pretty major gap in oversight:

I wrote a big piece that was, in part, about ICE arrests in Texas last summer. I ended up cutting a section on what it's like for kids in family detention. But if you're wondering what that five-year-old from Minnesota is now going through in Texas, this will give you some idea.

A wind storm that caused B.C. Ferries to cancel almost all sailings between Vancouver and the island came at the peak of the holiday travel season – leaving the fate of many passengers and their travel plans uncertain. I spoke to several of those left stranded. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

RCMP are investigating after two early-morning shootings have taken place over the past three days on residential streets in the Cowichan Valley. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

What a post-script, from @thatemfagan.bsky.social www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #bcpoli

B.C. could be on the verge of flirting with another attempt at proportional representation. But after three failed attempts, what would make this time different? My latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Canada’s drug laws are facing a constitutional challenge from the founders of a Vancouver compassion club. In trying to beat back a wave of toxic street drugs, "You feel lost and powerless, because you are," Jeremy Kalicum testified. pressprogress.ca/drug-laws-fa...

While Premier Eby says changes to the Mental Health Act are necessary to make sure workers are protected from liability, some in the industry have raised questions about why this change is necessary — as they say the act already covers liability protection. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

You wouldn’t believe the lengths @kehyslop.bsky.social had to go to to get basic info on the training for school liaison officers. This contoversial VPD program was briefly shuttered in 2021 before being reinstated in 2023. #vanpoli thetyee.ca/News/2025/11...

Politicians and experts are calling for nasal naloxone to be free for everyone in B.C.—as it is in other provinces—as they say providing a more accessible option for the general public could make a difference in saving lives amid the toxic drug crisis. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

My initial reaction to Minister Parmar's comments was raised eyebrows and rolled eyes A few weeks later, standing on the edge of a freshly logged cutblock in the Walbran Valley, his words seemed even more jarring In fact, "the clearcutting continues as we speak" #bcpoli

A Canada-wide agreement signed today will drop interprovincial trade barriers on many goods, except food and alcohol, starting in December. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Columbia Journalism Review recently interviewed Betsy Reed, editor of the Guardian's U.S. edition. www.cjr.org/the-intervie... She says: "If we regard it, for good reason, as being extreme and out of line with basic humane values, we won’t treat it as part of the normal discourse in America."

Many services on Salt Spring Island are experiencing a labor shortage, driven by a lack of housing workers can afford. It's pushed businesses around the island to offer housing for workers in order to improve recruitment — including illegal trailers. My latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

B.C. Green Party MLA Rob Botterell says in a province where a third of residents are renters, it’s time to remove the ability for landlords to raise rent prices after evicting tenants. He's pushing for vacancy control — but is facing an uphill battle. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The Victoria Police Department spent more than $22,000 in public funds on a celebration for its outgoing and incoming police chiefs this summer, according to documents obtained through FOI by @stephenharrison.bsky.social Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

I'm really glad Stephen keeps such a close eye on the goings on related to our local police department It's such essential, public service reporting that I don't see from other local outlets

The #yyj police board is presenting its draft 2026 budget at 5:00 pm. They want $90 million+, including 25 new officers. It would be an $11 million increase, or 14% (a 52%, $31 million increase from 2021). Budget: vicpd.ca/wp-content/u... 🧵 with highlights before the meeting starts. #vicpdboard

A B.C woman seeking IVF funding says she faces delays, uncertainty amid the eight-week BCGEU strike. My latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Public service workers told me they've faced a high toll for being on strike these last six weeks — more than anything, they want to return to their jobs helping people. But with negotiations at a standstill for weeks, it's unclear when a deal will be reached. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

B.C. prisoners with complex mental illnesses aren’t getting the psychiatric treatment they need, and are being kept in jail longer than required, because the province has only one 190-bed hospital for them, @mikehager.bsky.social reports: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/briti...

Freelancers based on Vancouver Island or the BC coast, please get in touch if you're available over the next few weeks!

A judge has sentenced a man who he says was involved in a shooting and arson at the B.C. home of musician AP Dhillon in 2024 on the direction of the Bishnoi crime group, which is now a terrorist entity in Canada. My latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

UVic's president committed to implementing all 18 of an independent report's recommendations in the wake of a student's fatal overdose on campus — most before September. While progress has been made, few recommendations were finished by the start of term. My latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...