British ColumbiaThe daughter of a B.C. Conservative MLA is sharing her experience, years after someone shared an intimate image of her without her consent. At 15, Amelia Van Popta’s intimate image was shared without her consent. Now, she’s helping tighten B.C.’s lawKatie DeRosa · CBC News · Posted: Oct 28, 2025 5:37 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutes Amelia Van Popta, left, and her mother, Langley-Walnut Grove MLA Misty Van Popta, outside the B.C. Legislature. Amelia, now 20, is speaking of her experience as a victim of a non-consensual intimate image as her mother seeks to improve B.C.’s law protecting people from having these images shared without their consent. (Michael McArthur/CBC)The daughter of a B.C. Conservative MLA is sharing her experience, years after someone shared an intimate image of her without her consent. Amelia Van Popta’s story was central to a change in B.C. law that gives other victims more time to seek justice in similar situations. Amelia was 15 years old when she shared an intimate photo with a boy she knew. Months later, she found out it had been shared widely. “An intimate photo that was never going to see the light of day was shared across three schools in my district,” said Amelia, who is now 20.Misty Van Popta, left, and her daughter Amelia, 17 in this photo. (Misty Van Popta)Her mother, B.C. Conservative MLA Misty Van Popta, was the one who had to break the news to her, after being told by a school counsellor that the photo was circulating. Van Popta remembers collapsing to the ground at work. “It was devastating to watch your child to not only go through that but knowing what was coming down the line, the embarrassment and humiliation,” said Van Popta, the MLA for Langley-Walnut Grove. Amelia said she struggled with depression and shame. At her lowest point, she tried to take her life. “It was definitely hard, and being so young, it’s traumatic,” she said. “There’s almost a stigma of shame around being a victim where that’s not where the shame should be placed.” Misty Van Popta, left, walks outside the legislature with her daughter Amelia. (Michael McArthur/CBC)Based on her daughter’s experience, Van Popta saw gaps in the NDP’s Intimate Images Protection Act, which came into force in January 2024.“I was focused on trying to find ways to make it stronger,” she said. The act aims to provide new ways to stop the non-consensual distribution of intimate images. In Amelia’s case, charges were never laid because the photo did not meet the definition of child pornography.The act allows victims to go through the B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal to have intimate images removed and seek monetary compensation. Van Popta called for victims to have four years instead of two to seek damages if the perpetrator violates an order to take down the images.“If I look back to her experience, she was not well enough within that two-year period,” Van Popta said. “It takes a long time to be able to gain that strength and that courage to talk about these things,” said Amelia. “And two years is just not enough.” In a show of cross-party support, B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma has agreed to make those changes. Sharma thanked Van Popta and Amelia “for really bringing the human impact to this place about how those types of crimes can really impact people and their family.” Amelia Van Popta, in white, hugs B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma as her mother and Conservative MLA Misty Van Popta looks on in the halls of the B.C. Legislature. (Mike McArthur/CBC)Both Sharma and Van Popta say it’s an example of progress on a “non-partisan” issue that puts victims first. On Monday, Amelia met Sharma in the halls of the legislature and, with a hug, thanked her for taking her concerns seriously. “If it takes one person to be vulnerable to change something, I will gladly be that person.” Amelia said.ABOUT THE AUTHORKatie DeRosa is the provincial affairs reporter for CBC British Columbia. She is based in Victoria. You can contact her at katie.derosa@cbc.ca.
Story of B.C. Conservative MLA’s daughter leads to stronger Intimate Images Protection Act
