Author: Emily Thompson
Emily Thompson
Emily Thompson is a respected local news reporter from Nanaimo with 13 years of experience in journalism. She graduated from Vancouver Island University and has reported for Nanaimo News Bulletin and CBC British Columbia and Wall Street Updates. Emily is a member of the Canadian Journalism Foundation and actively supports initiatives focused on coastal conservation and indigenous community storytelling.
A woman in Nanaimo is facing criminal charges for allegedly stealing money and committing fraud against a local non-profit organization. The charges follow a years-long investigation that involved a special prosecutor due to her personal ties to the legal system. The BC Prosecution Service (BCPS) announced on Tuesday that four charges have been laid against Joanne McCormick. These include two counts of theft over $5,000 and two counts of fraud over $5,000. Officials say the crimes are believed to have taken place during two separate time periods. The first was from April 10, 2019 to October 28, 2021. The second…
A human rights complaint against a Nanaimo-based non-profit has been dismissed by the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal following a settlement between the parties. Although the settlement did not directly address the discrimination claims, it led to the complaint’s withdrawal. In May 2021, a woman who worked as a mental health support worker from 2011 to 2020 filed a complaint against the Vancouver Island Mental Health Society. She alleged she faced discrimination because of a mental disability. The society denied these claims and requested the complaint be dismissed. The complainant said she was fired while she was “ill and temporarily…
The annual Nanaimo bathtub race made its return this year, but with tighter security. Organizers worked quickly to boost safety after a recent tragedy in Vancouver raised new concerns. The race has been a tradition in Nanaimo for nearly 60 years. It began in 1967 during the city’s centennial. Since then, it has become one of the community’s most loved summer events. This year, however, organizers had to make big changes just days before the race. The safety shift came after a violent incident in Vancouver earlier this spring. Though the event was not linked, organizers of the Nanaimo race…
A city councillor in Nanaimo, British Columbia, is asking the city to request the closure of a supervised drug injection site located next to city hall. This move follows months of concern over safety issues and community disturbance in the area. Councillor Ian Thorpe plans to introduce a motion at the upcoming city council meeting. The motion will urge council members to formally ask Island Health, the regional health authority, to shut down the overdose prevention site on Albert Street. Thorpe voiced his concerns during a council meeting on July 21. He stated that the city needs to tell the…