THE Narwhala Canadian online investigative magazine specializing in the environment, and the Toronto Star won the 2023 Michener Prize. They were recognized for their reporting on the Ontario Greenbelt scandal.
The announcement of the winners of this award, which recognizes excellence in public interest journalism in Canada, was made Friday evening during a ceremony in Curtain Hall, in Ottawa, in the presence of Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada.
Toronto Star and the Narwhal were able to brilliantly chronicle the corruption at the heart of the Ontario Greenbelt scandal. Their journalistic work meets all the criteria for reporting worthy of the PrizeMichener”,”text”:”The Toronto Star and Narwal brilliantly reported on the corruption at the heart of the Ontario Greenbelt scandal. Their journalistic work meets all the criteria for reporting worthy of the Michener Prize”}}”>THE Toronto Star and the Narwhal were able to brilliantly chronicle the corruption at the heart of the Ontario Greenbelt scandal. Their journalistic work meets all the criteria for reporting worthy of the Michener Prize
underlined the president of the Michener Prize Foundation, Margo Goodhand, also praising the work of the finalists.
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Noor Javed, journalist at the “Toronto Star”, alongside Governor General Mary Simon
Photo: The Canadian Press / PATRICK DOYLE
The investigation of Narwhal and Toronto Star revealed that in 2023, real estate developers close to the ruling party in Ontario would have purchased agricultural land at low prices just before Premier Doug Ford ended protection of this land.
Both outlets carried exclusive revelations, including that the promoters enjoyed good relations with the prime minister, to the point where they were invited to his daughter’s wedding. Their report also shed light on the existence of a mysterious “Mr.
There RCMP subsequently took up the matter and opened an investigation. The perseverance of Narwhal and Toronto Star caused the Auditor General of Ontario to say that their work contributed greatly to raising public awareness and ultimately stopping the provincial government’s unacceptable attempt to remove land from the Greenbelt
.
Furthermore, Radio-Canada was nominated for the 2023 Michener Prize for the investigation entitled “The hidden face of Neptune (New window) ». SSigned by journalist Gaétan Pouliot and director Laurence Mathieu-Léger, this investigation looked into the case of a giant in the field of private security in Canada suspected of overbilling.
CBC/Radio-Canada also stood out for the investigation entitled “ The girls around Robert Miller (New window)/The Miller system (New window) », which revealed allegations of sexual abuse of minors by billionaire Robert Miller.
Here is the list of media that received a nomination:
- The Canadian Press: A “predator” at CSIS (A
predator”,”text”:”predator”}}”>predator
at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service) - CBC/Radio-Canada: The girls around Robert Miller/The Miller system
- THE Globe and Mail : Montreal fire safety (Fire protection in Montreal)
- There Montreal Gazette : Staff haunted by suicide at the Lakeshore Hospital ER (Lakeshore Hospital emergency staff haunted by suicide)
- Radio-Canada: The hidden side of Neptune/The dark side of Neptune
Chantal Hébert and Terry Mosher in the spotlight
Political columnist Chantal Hébert also received the prestigious Michener-Baxter prize on Friday evening to recognize her entire journalistic career.
Her remarkable work as a seasoned political analyst of federal-provincial relations and national unity has earned her widespread recognition across the country.
Cartoonist Terry Mosher, alias Aislin, also received this distinction which highlighted his career at the Montreal Gazette and his scathing humor but never cruel
.
In addition, the Michener Prize Foundation announced that the Michener-Deacon scholarship was awarded to Ève Lévesque and Marie-Christine Noël for their project investigating food security in Canada which will be published in News.
The Michener–L. Richard O’Hagan was awarded to Jean-Hugues Roy and Naël Shiab for the creation of a free online course on data journalism.
