Author

Shannon Waters

Shannon began her reporting career in northern BC, covering communities from Smithers to Williams Lake and leading award-winning coverage of the 2017 wildfires. Her professional passions are politics, policy and people and the ways they intersect and influence each other. As the founding reporter at BC Today, she spent years covering the BC legislature and provincial political scene in unique depth. Shannon has a knack for turning the nuts and bolts of government policy into engaging reporting. She prides herself on her ability to take information that makes a lot of people’s eyes glaze over and find the story within – what it means, how it matters and why you should care. When she’s not hustling for stories, you can find her cultivating her green thumb or biking to and from the beach, where she’s equally likely to be buried in a book or enjoying the ocean.

Drugs

‘One drink is the same mortality risk as one cigarette,’ UVic researcher says

Most of us know alcohol is not good for us, but do we really understand the risks?

Municipal

Losing the training wheels: Victoria councillors hope to hit the ground running in 2023

By Shannon Waters
Dec 30, 2022

Tackling housing affordability, public safety, and climate change are some of the top priorities

Municipal

‘Truly awesome’: What the first months on Victoria council have been like

By Shannon Waters
Dec 29, 2022

Councillors reflect on what they’ve learned so far about public office and each other

Latest News

Youngest Victoria councillors working two jobs to keep up with living costs

By Shannon Waters
Dec 28, 2022

Councillors work just about full-time, but say the pay isn’t enough to get by in Victoria. It’s a sticky—and age-old—problem in local politics: who wants to vote for their own pay raise?

Municipal

Closed council meetings are routine. They can also be lightning rods for public ire

By Shannon Waters
Dec 20, 2022

Victoria’s recent in camera decision drew backlash but closed door meetings are not unusual

City Hall

What does a reporter have to do to get a little local government transparency in Greater Victoria?

By Shannon Waters
Dec 19, 2022

Our municipal affairs reporter is filing freedom of information requests with every municipality in Greater Victoria. Game on.

Housing

How changing a planning oddity in Saanich could speed up housing approvals

By Shannon Waters
Dec 14, 2022

Mayor Dean Murdock hopes to change the district’s reputation for sluggish development.

Housing

A final decision on Missing Middle is coming, but not until the new year

Victoria council decides to proceed with controversial policy 'as if the current council members had heard the public hearing'