Tag Team, back again! To say my heart belongs to Allegiance is an understatement.

Working on the second season changed my life, a blend of personal and professional growth that was ultimately quite transformative.

And the third season continued that journey. The writers’ room was a family, led by the incredible Penny Gummerson and Ley Lukins, and the cast and crew are among the best in the country. As storytellers, we got to go deeper than before, and explore Sabrina Sohal’s journey to build trust within her respective communities.

And I wrote an episode that was dear to my heart, and dedicated to a very real person — a West Minster sex worker and beloved community activist named January Lapuz, who was killed during a violent encounter with a john.

I wanted to create a story that could give us the ending we didn’t get in real life — a world where January could be a hero. As is the case with network television, the concept evolved as it moved through notes and production, but I still feel proud of where we got with it. I hope it adds to the positive representation of sex workers.

Allegiance returns on January 7th on CBC and CBC Gem, and my episode is the third — “The Mission,” airing on January 21st.