Meet
Krista Loughton

For me, being socially conscious is a way of life. That’s why I chose to be a documentary filmmaker. It was about making social change. And I have used filmmaking to influence policy makers at all levels of government.

Krista Loughton

Krista's story

For me, being socially conscious is a way of life. I was raised in a family where being of service to the community goes back at least two generations. My parents demonstrated to me the importance of collaboration, and how equity and inclusion must be at the forefront of service work.

As a teenager, I travelled overseas with my family and was exposed to the realities of extreme poverty. Those trips changed me, and I started to ask myself what I could do to help. Finally, I realized that I didn’t have to go far to make a difference – all I had to do was go downtown.

I looked for people who were visibly struggling the most in my community. That was 16 years ago, right here in Victoria, where I met Karen Montgrand, Eddie Golko, Stanley Hunter, and Dawnellda Gauthier. Four homeless and addicted people who changed my life. They are the participants in my film Us and Them, who through their stories taught me, and several thousand audiences all over North America, about early childhood trauma and its correlation to poverty, homelessness, and addiction.

My decision to move into politics is the next step in the continuation of my life’s work. I want to start using my experience to be of service to my community, just like my family before me.