Thousands of short-term rentals in B.C. are still operating illegally, new data shows.
I looked into the challenges B.C. has faced cracking down on illegal listings for
@CBCNews
:
I started a new job this week reporting at the
@TorontoStar
! I’ll be focused on housing, crime, and urban affairs.
If you have tips or areas you think I should look into—or just want to chat—contact me at efagan[at]thestar[dot]ca
I graduated into a pandemic and began down the scary, ill-advised path of a freelance journalist a year and a half ago. Now, I freelance ft and have written for some of my dream publications.
Here's what that journey has looked like, for anyone curious about freelancing.
A bit of an update: I live in Toronto now! I’ll be here for the next year, while I pursue a new career opportunity that’s starting soon.
I’m still getting to know the city, so if you have food recs (or are a fellow journalist with time to grab a coffee) let me know!
Woke up to my first front page story in
@TorontoStar
!!
Canada is growing at a record-breaking pace—but experts say governments need to ensure services can meet new demand.
“The people moving here are the ones paying the biggest price in many, many cases.”
It’s my first week as a content editor with
@globeandmail
! Beyond excited to spend my summer working with and learning from this incredible team.
You can send tips (and please reach out if you’re a fellow journalist down to chat!) to efagan
@globeandmail
.com
Today’s my third day training as an associate producer at CBC Radio Victoria! It’s been a wild week to start, but I’m thankful to the supportive team here for guiding me through it.
I’d love to hear your tips and island-based stories—reach me at emily.fagan(at)cbc(dot)ca
My summer stint at
@globeandmail
has come to an end! I feel very lucky to have spent this time learning and working alongside The Globe’s incredible team.
Thanks to everyone who supported me through this program and made my time in Toronto such a blast!
Excited to share that my first CBC multimedia series is going live next week!!
I’ll be on CBC Radio at 8:10 am PST on Tuesday to launch the series, “No Place For Home—Inside Vancouver Island’s Housing Crisis.” (Tune in locally on 90.5 FM or through the CBC Listen app)
This
@TheTyee
story points loudly to what public health officials have said softly: deaths of vulnerable people are treated as an acceptable cost of returning to "normal."
But people with disabilities and chronic illnesses aren't just statistics—we deserve to live too.
My Daughter Shouldn’t Be Sacrificed to ‘Get Back to Normal’ via
@TheTyee
Instead of getting inclusive public health policy that respects the risk to vulnerable people, we’re being told to not be so fearful.
Netflix's MAID filmed at 185
#yyj
locations—but did you know they also donated many set items to help those who experienced domestic violence locally find a fresh start?
I spoke to several nonprofits about MAID's local impact through awareness and donations for
@CapitalDailyVic
:
Netflix’s Maid, filmed at 185 locations around Vancouver Island, cast a spotlight on the impact domestic violence. And, thanks to large donations made by the production team, the show’s impact is having an even wider reach in Greater Victoria.
#YYJ
Toronto council voted unanimously to create a new permanent emergency service that will respond to mental health crisis calls city-wide instead of the police.
My latest with
@alysanmati
for
@TorontoStar
:
More than 40 women have accused prominent driving instructor Steve Wallace of sexual harassment, with accounts dating back to the 80s.
For
@CapitalDailyVic
,
@brish_ti
and I investigated these allegations:
This
@CTVNewsVI
story doesn’t cite a single source against this $76k police funding, but includes three sources in favor of it—including one who claimed “everyone” she knows in the neighborhood has been assaulted in the park. Was this verified??
Received my first dose of the (Pfizer) vaccine today!! I’m very excited and lucky for this moment to have arrived—and meanwhile in NY, my little brother got his second dose of Moderna today! For those curious what getting the vax is like in BC, a thread. 1/
At the start of July, Instagram accounts across Canada began sharing allegations of harassment and assault within the tattoo industry. Then, suddenly, they went dark.
My first piece for
@VICE
looks into why voices like these can fall silent.
"It was profitable... The message within the organization has been, consistently, that Capital Daily is the exemplar for every other publication to follow. They have been held up as the model of success that everyone else should be striving toward.”
A VicPD video went viral this spring, showing part of their crackdown on youth downtown.
Experts and locals say they went too far.
“If your PR involves filming people without their consent and posting it online… you are on the wrong side of this debate.”
Community members and journalists from across Canada have contributed an astounding $2,000 to those laid off from Capital Daily today.
A true testament to the value of their work.
What a loss for local media, and for longform journalism in Canada.
Anyone who is interested in donating to a drinks fund for former Capital Daily staff who have been laid off today, please dm me
BREAKING: Steve Wallace has been arrested for three counts of sexual assault, according to files obtained by
@CapitalDailyVic
. He was released on bail, and will appear in
#yyj
court on Nov. 25.
Latest from me and
@brish_ti
:
Gotta love when people conflate car accessibility with accessibility for disabled people in municipal discourse... like with how expensive it is to live in Victoria as a person with a disability who even can afford a car
Made it to Toronto! It’s my first time here, and I’m looking for things to do (besides work) over the next three weeks.
I’d also love to meet as many fellow journalists as I can while here—so if you’re in the city and have time to grab a coffee, my DMs are open!
just heard that a big feature I wrote this summer is coming out tomorrow. very excited for it to finally be out in the world!!
all this to say, this week is a particularly good one to pick up the Saturday
@globeandmail
Was traveling when this came out, but so nice to finally see it in print.
Full page illo + design for a story by
@hannahbsampson
and Emily Fagan
#editorialillustration
Spent the day reporting for the CBC in the Fairy Creek injunction area, where three protesters were arrested this week at a blockade to prevent old growth logging.
Full coverage to come, starting tomorrow morning.
Today, I’m at a build where a community group is working to construct two shower stalls for people living unhoused in parks around Victoria. Full story for the
@TheTyee
to come.
#yyj
#bcpoli
When time ran out in transition housing, numerous women told me they were homeless, returned to abuse, and contemplated suicide.
BC Housing data shows they’re not not alone—100s leave without a safe, affordable, and permanent place to live.
My latest:
My file for
@cbcnewsbc
about the latest protest group to take action against old growth logging in the Fairy Creek area:
"There are people that will still mourn the trees that they sat with that are now gone because they are logged.”
Experts say the pandemic has doubly disadvantaged disabled Canadians, many of whom face high financial barriers to basic needs. Prior to COVID, 33% of those with severe disabilities lived in poverty.
“It’s taking a huge toll on all of us.”
My first for
@globeandmail
:
Churches and community centers took in hundreds of refugees, most of African descent, when they were turned away from Toronto city shelters.
12 weeks later, I looked at one church still housing 100s a night thanks to donations and volunteers—with no end in sight.
My latest:
Today is the launch of the
@CapitalDailyVic
's Good Newsletter, written and produced by me! I'm excited to brighten up inboxes every Friday with uplifting stories from around the city and resources for supporting your neighbors.
#yyj
Here's the first issue:
Today is my last day as
@CapitalDailyVic
’s Good Newsletter editor. When we launched the GNL a year ago, I had no idea it would become the award-winning, community-driven newsletter it is today—and I’m so grateful for that.
Here’s a sneak peak of my farewell message to readers:
Happy that this story was picked up by the Globe and Mail, but disapointed that the original investigation
@_tashasimpson
broke for the Martlet isn’t mentioned once.
Something I haven't share publicly: after almost two years without treatment, I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease last May. As I graduated into a pandemic, with no job lined up, I suddenly was facing $100 bills for medicine. This story is deeply personal.
Experts say the pandemic has doubly disadvantaged disabled Canadians, many of whom face high financial barriers to basic needs. Prior to COVID, 33% of those with severe disabilities lived in poverty.
“It’s taking a huge toll on all of us.”
My first for
@globeandmail
:
What a loss for local media, and for longform journalism in Canada.
Anyone who is interested in donating to a drinks fund for former Capital Daily staff who have been laid off today, please dm me
BC announced that Trikafta, a new cystic fibrosis drug, will now be covered through the B.C. Expensive Drugs for Rare Diseases process.
This spring, I looked into how many claim access to Trikafta is changing their lives. Here's the full
@TheTyee
story:
I was hurrying to work during my second week in Toronto this summer when this made me do a double take.
Working, pristine pay phones in a 21st century subway station? As someone who hadn’t even used a phone with actual buttons in years, I felt like I’d gone back in time.
I won an award for writing good news!! Very exciting, especially on the eve of the Good Newsletter’s first birthday
Congrats my colleages at
@CapitalDailyVic
(especially
@JackieLamport
and
@ToriMarlan
) for bringing home gold 🏅
From the 24/7 Division: Silver goes to… A Victoria 10 year old created a word from a linguistic oddity. Over the past four years, it’s come to mean so much more by the Good Newsletter- Capital Daily
Applications to bottle water are on the rise in many BC regions hit hardest by droughts this summer—including one area where local First Nations no longer live on their reserve due to a lack of drinkable water.
My first for
@thenarwhalca
:
Applications for B.C. water bottling permits are on the rise — including in the very areas hardest hit by this summer's drought. The spike has many asking: who should profit off the province's imperilled freshwater resources?
via
@thatemfagan
#bcpoli
I was honored when friends of Lilia Zaharieva asked if I would would write a story about the incredible life she led.
Lilia took pride in being an advocate, an author, and a thorn in the BC government's side. Here's just a glimpse into the Lilia I knew.
Probably the most dramatic and complex local story I've told, this piece has it all: a mysterious fire, ominous letters, and nearly everyone making allegations of bulling and harassment.
In a crisis of housing scarcity, how far will some go to pursue their neighborhood vision?
Some exciting news this morning:
@brish_ti
and I are
@caj
finalists for our investigative work!
It’s a real honor to be recignized alongside these great journalists, including another member of the
@CapitalDailyVic
team
@ToriMarlan
.
local news has a lot of outlets that focus on click-driven, daily stories. places that allow their staff the time to generate nuanced, investigative work are a rare (and endangered) breed
One year after the Wet’suwet’en solidarity actions began in Victoria, I checked in with three people behind the movement on the ways it changed their lives.
“It’s been a really intense journey this year... I’ve learned a lot about myself and my values.”
My latest for
@TheTyee
:
One year after the 17-day-long stand-off on the steps of the B.C. legislature, land defenders detail how the action changed their approach to activism, their culture and fighting colonial government practices.
@thatemfagan
reports.
This week I got one of the best complements you can get as a reporter, which was, "I've done a lot of interviews in the past week—your questions are different, and very good."
Looking forward to that story coming out into the world soon 😊
After 2 weeks of multiple health screens and asking everyone to quarantine, I surprised my closest inner circle with a trip to a private island where we could pretend things were normal just for a brief moment in time.
#canpoli
Today in Beacon Hill Park, a local community group is attempting to install two shower stalls built for unhoused people. However, bylaw officers reportedly removed the water source prior to the group’s arrival.
#yyj
#victoria
My first multimedia series with the CBC—which took a deep dive into the island's housing crisis—is wrapping up!
You can find it all here, including stories from people across the housing spectrum, how we got to this point, and models for solutions:
Nobody wants people to have to be in Victoria's Beacon Hill Park encampments—most of all those currently living there. For
@ricochet_en
, I broke down the conflict over this situation.
Thanks to
@overloaded_writ
for lending his stellar photography skills.
As someone who often visits and reports on Beacon Hill Park, it’s hard to watch when so many voices are left out of stories like these — most notably, the people living in the park. I spoke to a few just today whose experiences are a far cry from what’s written in that piece.
Nobody has a "right" to live in a certain city — but amenities that make cities worth living in (good restaurants, stores, exc.) are all staffed by people who might further disappear if they can't afford to live there
Speaker Bill Heflin says there is a right to housing—but not to live in Victoria. Several speakers against the initiative have raised this point in different ways.
Ryan has spent weeks covering a “non-partisan” slate of candidates with ties to the PPC.
Tonight, he was denied entry at an All Candidates Event featuring many of these candidates because they “don’t care for his kind.”
Time to start paying attention, if you aren’t already.
Working from The Globe’s offices for the first time tonight and trying to remember why I’ve been such a big fan of working remotely.
Can’t quite recall anymore…
Yesterday, the city remove two unsanctioned showers and a community resource tent for the unhoused from Beacon Hill Park—in spite of ongoing negotiations between support workers and city council.
My latest on this ongoing conflict for
@TheTyee
:
It’s been absolutely heartbreaking to hear how far back these allegations go, but
@brish_ti
and I are so thankful to all the women who have continued to trust us with their stores and made this investigation possible.
We’ve got more to come on this—watch for that very soon.
Stay tuned for
@thatemfagan
and I's story next week in which we lay out allegations against Wallace dating back to the 70s/early 80s
Extremely grateful to the brave women who came forward to share their encounters with him after our first article.
ICYMI:
#NEW
: As a result of their investigation, ICBC has permanently canceled Steve Wallace’s driving instructor license. He has 30 days to appeal, and ICBC is continuing to investigate Wallace Driving School.
Full details in our updated
@CapitalDailyVic
story:
I got some exciting news this week… my lovely
@CapitalDailyVic
Good Newsletter readers are making a difference!! So proud of this little community for paying forward the goodwill to
@ourplacesociety
and those impacted by the recent heatwave ☺️
Tired of waiting for the city to take action, a group of
#yyj
community members have built heated showers for the unhoused that they plan to install around the city. But without the city’s approval, these showers will likely be illegal.
My first for
@TheTyee
:
With less than $1,000 worth of wood, sheet metal, waterproof rubber and propane water heaters, the group finished constructing the two shower stalls this weekend.
@thatemfagan
has the story.
In a leaked video, leaders in
#bcpoli
showed the troubling reality of exactly what young women of color in politics are up against. Since, there have been bipartisan calls for action on ridding politics of sexism and racism.
My latest, for
@VICENews
:
Woke up at an ungodly hour to join the line outside the 25th Time Colonist book sale—which one person I’m waiting with called “a book lover’s met gala.”
Before 6:30 am, the line was already past the end of the block
I’m at the
#yyj
courthouse where dozens of people have gathered to stand in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people opposed to the CGL pipeline on their territory.
Over the weekend, a community group arrived in Beacon Hill Park ready to illegally install showers for unhoused people—only to discover that someone had thwarted their plans. The water tap was removed prior to their arrival.
My latest for
@TheTyee
:
At the BC Legislature in
#yyj
, a protest in support of the people of Gaza and Palestine is getting underway. About a hundred people are gathered, most with flags.
Tune in to
@CBCRadioCanada
's show
@AllPointsWestBC
tonight at 5 pm to hear me discuss this story live!
You can also catch
@brish_ti
in an interview with the
@CapitalDailyVic
podcast later this week about our article (and keep an eye out for follow up stories soon).
More than 40 women have accused prominent driving instructor Steve Wallace of sexual harassment, with accounts dating back to the 80s.
For
@CapitalDailyVic
,
@brish_ti
and I investigated these allegations:
Curious about
#yyj
food trucks? This local couple tried all 43 of them during the pandemic.
I sat down with them to get the story behind this journey—from samosas on Christmas to celebrating their engagement with Tacofino.
For
@CapitalDailyVic
:
As of tomorrow, I’ll be logging off for the weekend to spend some time on Pender Island with my partner! It’ll be our first time there, so please send recommendations of things we should check out.
@_tashasimpson
Here’s the original story, made possible by the bravery of our sources. I have been proud to witness
@_tashasimpson
and our editing team put many hours into this ongoing investigation over the past few months.
How do we solve the
#yyj
doctor shortage? It turns out, a group of island doctors have been working to solve it for over a decade.
In 5 years, their group has gained 20 doctors and helped 11,000 new patients get doctors.
My latest for
@CapitalDailyVic
:
UVic’s Board of Governors voted not to reinstate the campus mask mandate, against recommendations from the senate.
(How do these groups differ? Senate: 32 faculty, 16 student reps, 16 admin. BoG: 2 faculty, 1 staff, 2 students, 2 admin, and 8 appointees from the LG.)
#bced
#uvic
The Board of Governors voted not to accept the recommendation presented by Senate. We continue to encourage everyone to wear masks in indoor spaces where you may be in close proximity to others, or anywhere you feel more comfortable to do so.
“We want to help you get your message out…”
Hard to imagine the RCMP saying things like this to Indigenous land defenders at Fairy Creek or on Wet’suwet’en territory
Here’s a glimpse at how police are negotiating with protestors blocking the border near Coutts, Alberta, from the video of a protestor in the room with them. No one is masked. The cops’ goal is to allow the protest but allow border traffic/commerce.
An unaffordable market is driving Greater Victoria residents across the economic spectrum to extreme measures just to make ends meet.
Here's just a few of the people on the frontlines of the island's housing crisis.
The latest in my series for
@CBCNews
I shared stories from people across the housing spectrum with
@GregorCraigie
to launch our series “No place for home – inside Vancouver Island’s housing crisis.”
We'll dive into how we got here, the depth of the damage, and models for potential solutions.
Community members and journalists from across Canada have contributed an astounding $2,000 to those laid off from Capital Daily today.
A true testament to the value of their work.
There’s a lot nobody tells you about being disabled—something I’ve discovered since my Crohn’s diagnosis >1 year ago.
For those struggling with their identity as a disabled person or who don't see themselves reflected in their industry, this one’s for you.
#DisabilityPrideMonth
#NEW
: BC is preparing for a surge in COVID-19 and influenza-related hospitalizations expected starting mid-November.
They project 700 COVID patients needing hospitalization at a time (currently ~350), plus a peak of up to 1,200 influenza patients.
@CapitalDailyVic
#covid19bc
ICYMI: Hundreds of women in B.C. are entering homelessness or returning to abuse after transitional housing, as there are not enough affordable, permanent places for them to live.
Here's a breakdown of what my
@TheTyee
investigation last week uncovered:
Last week, Canada's borders opened to American tourists for the first time in over a year. In this article, I broke down exactly what folks need to know before safely planning their first trip back to Canada.
My first (and a dream come true to write!) for
@washingtonpost
:
Allegations against
#yyj
driving instructor Steve Wallace now span +40 years
Women across BC say he sexually harassed and assaulted them in the classroom, in his cars, and onstage at a pageant—most when they were teens
The latest from me and
@brish_ti
:
It's my last day at the CBC! I'm incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from and work alongside the talented team on the ground in Victoria.
Before I head out, I have one final scoop out today:
BC Ferries sailings canceled due to crew shortages have doubled, according to a report released at yesterday's AGM.
Crew shortages now account for 40% of all cancelations, according to the data reported by BC Ferries.
My last (for now) for
@cbcnewsbc
:
Every morning at 8 am—in spite of rain or snow—a group of
#yyj
locals take an icy dip in the ocean.
Who are the Cold Water Addicts, and what could they possibly get out of this? This week, I joined them to investigate.
Latest for
@CapitalDailyVic
:
HUGE congrats to
@_tashasimpson
for winning the JHM award for Investigative Reporting on behalf of the Martlet. She did a phenomenal job, and I wish she was here to receive it in person and hear how freaking proud of her we all are.
after six years in Canada, I finally encountered the one thing I’d heard rumblings of before moving here but had come to believe was just an urban legend…
Around 100 UVic students walked out of classes at noon in solidarity with the Wet’suwet'en people defending their land against the Coastal Gaslink pipeline. Students are headed downtown to join Indigenous youth currently locking themselves down at the B.C. Legislature.
For
@globeandmail
, I spoke to experts on the significance of transparent, race-based data in public health crises. Advocates and experts agree: without this, it's hard to stop the pandemic's disproportionate impact on low income, racialized neighborhoods.
Organizers assert that access to water is a human right, and say they feel the city is being “cruel and inhumane” in removing access not only for the showers, but the adjacent hand washing station. Signs on the shower doors quote UN protocol.
It's an honor to be named as a finalist alongside so many talented journalists, including several other members of the
@CapitalDailyVic
team!
You can read my Good Newsletter story, about a local kid who invented a word that's now a global hit, here:
For no reason at all, it seems like maybe a good moment to reshare this story I wrote last year about police public relations and young people in Victoria...
I didn't know how inaccessible travel is for disabled people till 2 yrs ago when a diagnosis changed my life. For others, it's been a lifelong fight—and many have found ways to make travel work on their own terms.
For
@washingtonpost
, something personal:
Before Victoria, Steve Wallace had a reputation for harassing teenage girls in Quesnel, where he was a teacher, the mayor, and then a candidate for MLA.
Latest by
@brish_ti
and
@thatemfagan
uncovering the mounting allegations against Wallace.
This incredibly powerful story by
@arno_kopecky
is the best I've read on Fairy Creek and the ongoing conflict in BC right now. If you take the time to read anything today, make it be this.
“This clock was wound up 150 years ago. The colonial experiment was the thing that set the stage, wrote the script, built the machine and locked us all into pre-ordained, perpetual motion.”
@arno_kopecky
writes.