Charlayne Thornton-Joe

Charlayne Thornton-Joe with her father, Jon Joe (Chow), at the Chinese New Year's celebrations in Chinatown, February 2013. Photo courtesy of Charlayne Thornton-Joe.

Charlayne Thornton-Joe was born and raised in Victoria. She lived in the inner-city as a child and then moved with her family out to Gordon Head. She attended the University of Victoria and graduated with a B.A. with a specialization in Pacific and Asian Studies. She worked for many years in the hospitality industry and has always been socially committed. She has been on the boards of the Inter-Cultural Association, the Women’s Transition House, and the Chinatown Lioness Club. She has actively promoted Chinatown and the Harling Point cemetery as important heritage sites.

Charlayne Thornton-Joe entered city politics over a decade ago, and is serving her fourth term as a city councilor. She has been an advocate for social justice, and worked to assure proper representation for diverse communities in the region. In December she traveled to Jiangmen, China to represent the city at the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Jiangmen Central Hospital where the Victoria-born physician Victoria Chung worked for over 40 years. Her father, John Joe, was also born in Victoria and often brought Charlayne to Chinatown as a child.

Victoria's Chinatown Lioness Club group photo with local historian John Adams (centre, front row) at the annual Chinatown Lioness spring festival banquet, 2013. Charlayne Thornton-Joe is third from left, second row. Photo courtesy of Charlayne Thornton-Joe.