Sylvia Thomson

Producer

Sylvia Thomson is a producer with the CBC in Toronto. She spent several years as a producer covering politics in Washington, D.C., and Ottawa and has covered major international stories.

Latest from Sylvia Thomson

Israelis displaced by fighting with Hezbollah want to go home as conflict edges closer to full-scale war

Tens of thousands of people in both Israel and Lebanon have been displaced by the volley of cross-border missiles launched by Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and by the Israel Defence Forces in Israel in a conflict that observers say has long been threatening to escalate into a full-blown war.

50 years later, 'Napalm Girl' has a message for children in Ukraine

For 50 years, an image of nine-year-old Kim Phuc Phan Thi running naked down a road in South Vietnam after a napalm attack has encapsulated the horrors of war. Today, the mother and peace activist who lives in Ajax, Ont., has a message for other children wounded and uprooted by war: don't lose hope.

'I'm alive': Former Canadian Forces sniper debunks rumours of his death in Ukraine

A former Canadian Armed Forces sniper fighting in Ukraine says he was the last to learn of his supposed death.
CBC IN UKRAINE

In Lviv, Ukraine, civilians take resistance to Russia into their own hands

On the outskirts of Lviv, Ukraine, a handful of men had the road to their town blocked with heavy machinery and metal barricades. It's part of the civilian-led resistance movement in this western Ukraine city.

'We've got to do better': Toronto readies to launch non-police crisis response pilot

Toronto is set to soon launch an $11-million policing-alternative pilot project that will see community-based teams respond to mental health calls. It's the single largest such initiative undertaken in Canada since the police-involved killing of George Floyd, which sparked a global outcry.

The human side of healing: How seeing loved ones helps COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 restrictions are keeping many patients isolated in the hospital, but a new study is highlighting what doctors, patients and families have seen: being near loved ones can play a role in healing — specifically around a common brain dysfunction that comes with COVID-19.

How mail-in voting could delay results in the U.S. election for days — or weeks

At least 70 million Americans have already cast ballots in the 2020 U.S. election, about two thirds of them by mail. Numbers like that mean this election could be like no other in terms of how long it takes to count ballots and declare a winner. 
Analysis

Can Florida save the U.S. from an election night meltdown?

As Americans face this fall full of uncertainty over questions of election legitimacy and a delayed result, the sunshine state could provide a path to election night clarity. 

Some U.S. religious leaders flout COVID-19 restrictions with large gatherings

Religious service, steeped as it is in community, is one area where people are finding it hard to avoid gathering amid the COVID-19 pandemic. And while some churches in the U.S. are finding innovative ways to continue services, such as conducting them virtually, a few are still gathering in person, potentially exposing many people to the novel coronavirus.

'I don't want anyone calling my kid coronavirus': Asian Americans fear COVID-19 backlash

Some Asian Americans say they feel betrayed by their president's use of racially charged terms like "Chinese virus" to describe the coronavirus pandemic and are steeling themselves for possible violence and racist attacks against their community.