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/...

Five months after Premier David Eby directed the British Columbia government to cancel U.S. contracts wherever possible, the work has fallen short of what he had wanted, by Andrew MacLeod #bcpoli thetyee.ca/News/2025/09...

31 journalists and media staff killed by Israeli strikes on newspaper offices in Yemen in deadliest attack on journalists in the last 16 years. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

A First Nations family is seeking justice after a man’s remains were misplaced by Island Health and the B.C. Coroner’s Office. They’re not the first island First Nation to experience this – but are pushing for changes to prevent it from happening to others. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

two scandals here: VPD fuelled panic over stranger attacks even as they fell dramatically in 2022, and then refused to release records about them for 14 months, which is against the law

a really great and well-researched story from @zoeyunker.bsky.social about the context and implications of the Cowichan decision, including how the namesake of Port Moody, B.C., secretly bought a Cowichan village site that should have been a reserve: thetyee.ca/News/2025/08...

The longest transit strike in BC's history appears to be at a standstill. After weeks of calls for the province to step in, BC's minister of labor says they may appoint a second mediator to try and resolve the dispute. My latest, with help from @katiederosa.bsky.social: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Fantastic news for healthcare in Canada, at a time when more in-depth and consistent coverage into issues around health is so needed! Can't wait to see the impact @brishti.bsky.social is sure to make in this role.

First, a fatal house fire. Then, a fiery car containing human remains. And most recently, a fatal assault. Three people have died in Port Alberni, B.C., within a 9-day period in early August, each of them under circumstances RCMP are investigating as suspicious. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

While Vancouver Island wildfire evacuees from about 100 properties were able to return to their homes on Wednesday evening, the majority remain displaced as efforts continue to try to rein in the fire's continued growth. My latest on what this looks like on the ground: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

They receive a salary, but there's no food to buy. Their vehicles are useless without gas, so they walk or use donkey carts.

@thatemfagan.bsky.social Proud to introduce C-211 to make it easier for people with disabilities to obtain the benefits they are entitled to and to reduce the paperwork load on health care workers. Each Disability Tax Credit form takes up to 1 hr to complete.

#Disability tax credits are critical for some Canadians. But applying for them can cost thousands. Experts raise alarm that DTC companies are bilking applicants, by @thatemfagan.bsky.social www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... via @cbcnews.ca

The disability tax credit can be critical for people with disabilities—especially now that it's required to access the new Canada Disability Benefit. But some people, including low-income families, are being charged thousands by companies for help applying. My latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Note to freelancers: I'm open to pitches for @nationalobserver.com! We pay pretty well, and we're flexible with timelines for assigned stories. I don't need a long pitch — think 2 paragraphs — but please give an idea of what your story is. Some recently published freelance pieces:

#StarInvestigation: She spent a year living in hotels while in the care of Children’s Aid. It was the last of her young life. This is Jade’s story, Children’s aid societies have housed hundreds of kids, including many with mental health conditions and high-risk behaviours, in unlicensed settings.

I was deported by the U.S. for reporting on the Columbia University student protests. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

Really important work from @halifaxexaminer.ca and the most rage-inducing reporting I've read in a long time Farhan Mohammed and Andrew Wilkinson have a lot to answer for. Instead of hiring 250 reporters across 50 outlets, they've wrecked and ravaged vibrant local news outlets like The Coast

#StarInvestigation: Hours of audio and video evidence is missing from Maplehurst guards’ crackdown on inmates. The missing footage, which some jail staff allege was purposely destroyed, has fuelled calls for a public inquiry into the violent incident.

Over a year ago, a woman approached me with a story about her five-year relationship with Regina police Sgt. Robert Semenchuck. Her case has exposed a disturbing misuse of police power and resources targeting dozens of women. Please read, please share. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

People with disabilities face barriers to navigating the B.C. Legislature, like steep ramps, inaccessible areas, and limited entrances, politicians and advocates say. My latest for the CBC: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Premier Eby is not backing down from two controversial laws that will fast-track infrastructure projects and clean energy projects across BC, despite a tense meeting with First Nations leaders, where he was urged to "kill" the bills. Latest with my colleague Katie DeRosa: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The Mayor of North Cowichan is frustrated BC won’t build a pedestrian bridge over the highway through his community. This comes in the wake of a teen fatally hit by a driver on the highway this week, the third person to be struck in the past month. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

What will it take to get BC back on track to meet future climate goals? BC's energy minister says clean energy will provide a path — but critics say the province can't make strides until it stops pursuing new LNG projects. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

BC Admits It Won't Come Close to 2025 and 2030 Climate Goals via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2025/05...

Three years ago, an all-party committee in BC released 11 actions to take on police reform. The province says they’ll do them all—but three years on, have little to show for it. My latest: www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7519320

Good follow by @thatemfagan.bsky.social on the Police Act reforms, which have barely progressed in the three years since the all-party report was released.

About one out of every four people in Canada has at least one disability, according to StatsCan, but disability-led beat reporting like this is unfortunately rare. Excited for this project and looking forward to following John's work on it!

'A lot of trust was lost' -- UVic students push for accountability after student's fatal overdose. Students call for increased transparency, better communication, and #HarmReduction measures, by @thatemfagan.bsky.social www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... via @cbcnews.ca #HarmReduction #ToxicDrugCrisis

A report detailing the "mistakes" that led to the overdose death of a first-year UVic student has been released by the university, casting new light on the circumstances of the incident and her parent's fight for transparency in the year since. My story for the CBC: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Rebates for EVs, along with other parts of the Clean B.C. program, could be on the chopping block as the province looks to balance the estimated $1.5 billion additional fiscal hole in its budget left by the termination of the consumer carbon tax this week. My latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Separate Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have killed two media workers, including an Al Jazeera journalist. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/...

Israel’s siege on Gaza has killed 50,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry. Research published in the Lancet earlier this year estimates that the true death toll is likely ~40% higher than what the ministry can confirm. www.thestar.com/news/world/m...

CleanBC's emission reduction goals are “no longer accurate or workable,” according to briefing docs prepared for the environment minister Why? Because the government changed "several policies" in the CleanBC Roadmap, yielding "significantly less emission reduction than initially modelled" #bcpoli

“Ice detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit. “The more detainees, the more money they make. It stands to reason that these companies have no incentive to release people quickly.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

The Homalco Nation held a funeral this week for the fourth young member of their nation to die in six months. They've declared a state of emergency — the third Vancouver Island Indigenous group to do so in the past year due to the toxic drug crisis. Latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The B.C. Coroners Service updated just now to say that a man they had previously told me died on Monday morning had not, in fact, died. His fate remains unclear. Story is updated to reflect this: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Island health has issued a drug alert after four suspected overdoses—three just minutes apart—in Victoria this week. Outreach workers say it’s an indictment of the city’s anti-sheltering bylaw enforcement efforts. My latest: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Police know this is not appropriate. Apparently they don't know not to underestimate student journalists.

The NDP made bold healthcare promises during the 2024 election — but patient groups and health-care workers were frustrated to see several key commitments absent from BC's first budget under a new mandate. However, groups were relieved by the lack of cuts amid economic uncertainty. My latest:

NEWS: In USDA, multiple people have been asked to report the names of LGBTQ employee resource group leaders to higher-ranking officials, according to interviews with workers and a document reviewed by Mother Jones. + similar in the Department of the Interior