Louise Dickson has shaped British Columbia’s legal journalism landscape through the Times Colonist since 1997. Her work sits at the intersection of courtroom drama and systemic reform, making her essential reading for policymakers and advocacy groups.
Louise Dickson’s journalism career spans nearly four decades, marked by a consistent focus on legal systems and their impact on vulnerable populations. After graduating from Queen’s University with a history degree, she began as a parliamentary researcher before joining the Ottawa Citizen in 1985. Her early work as a feature writer and fitness columnist honed her ability to simplify complex topics—a skill that later defined her court reporting.
Since joining the Times Colonist in 1997, Dickson has become synonymous with groundbreaking legal journalism in British Columbia. Her work falls into three distinct phases:
This 2023 investigation into Victoria’s troubled social housing complex combined data analysis with intimate portraits of residents. Dickson tracked emergency service calls to the building (147 police responses in 18 months) while humanizing statistics through Jamaal Johnson’s story—a father trapped in cycles of addiction and poverty. The article’s impact was immediate: city council fast-tracked $4.2 million in safety upgrades and commissioned an independent review of housing policies.
Through meticulous court document review, Dickson exposed how convicted criminals exploited legal gaps to erase their identities. Her findings showed 12% of name change applicants had serious criminal records. The provincial justice minister called her work “a wake-up call,” leading to amendments requiring criminal record checks for name changes—a policy still in place today.
This six-part investigation revealed how court sealing practices protected powerful interests over public safety. Dickson’s team analyzed 15,000+ case files, finding 43% of sexual assault cases and 61% of police misconduct cases had improper sealing orders. The series won the Justicia Award for Excellence in Legal Journalism and prompted the Chief Justice to revise transparency guidelines.
Dickson prioritizes stories demonstrating how legal rulings affect community resources. A successful 2022 pitch connected a provincial court’s bail reform decision to rising shelter demands—a pattern she’d previously covered in her 844 Johnson investigation. Frame your pitch through the lens of systemic change rather than individual cases.
Her award-winning work often begins with freedom-of-information requests. A recent productive pitch involved sealed documents about police training protocols obtained through FOI. Provide clear pathways to public records or offer experts who can decode legal jargon for readers.
Dickson’s reporting consistently amplifies perspectives from incarcerated individuals, social workers, and public defenders. A 2024 pitch succeeded by connecting a defense attorney with lived addiction experience to comment on drug policy reforms. Avoid law enforcement exclusives unless paired with community responses.
Her recent work examines how unstable housing drives repeat offenses. Successful pitches include data showing 68% of provincial inmates lacked permanent addresses pre-incarceration. Partner with housing nonprofits to source localized statistics and resident testimonials.
While Dickson occasionally covers financial crimes, she prioritizes cases exposing regulatory gaps. A rare exception: her 2019 piece on offshore shell companies used by convicted fraudsters. Frame corporate crime pitches around accountability mechanisms rather than sensational details.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Courts, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
