Category Archives: Awards

Nominations are open for the Carol McGregor CLC Disability Rights Award

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Dear Local Leaders,
Nominations are open for the Carol McGregor CLC Disability Rights Award, which recognizes the outstanding contributions of a worker with a disability who has made a significant and lasting impact in their union and/or the community by promoting and defending the rights of persons with disabilities.

Attached is the nomination form. You can also submit the form on the CLC website, linked here.

Please share this message with your members and consider nominating an activist from your Local. Any union member or organization may nominate a candidate.

All nominations must be received by Nov. 5, 2021. Complete nominations must be submitted via the CLC website or by email to: human-rights@clcctc.ca.

In solidarity,

Martin

 

Martin O’Hanlon
President, CWA Canada
The Media Union

Three Times Colonist reporters finalists for Jack Webster Awards

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Source: timescolonist.com

Three Times Colonist reporters are finalists for two Jack Webster Awards, which recognize excellence in B.C. journalism.

Katie DeRosa is nominated in the feature/enterprise reporting category for a story about a man living in a shed. The story highlighted the revolving door of the criminal justice system.

Louise Dickson and Lindsay Kines are vying for the legal journalism award for stories on a sheriffs shortage that led judges to dismiss charges against a pair of accused drug dealers.

The winners will be announced at the 31st annual Jack Webster Awards dinner on Oct. 12 in Vancouver.

“These nominations provide more evidence of the high quality of journalism provided by the Times Colonist,” Dave Obee, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, said Wednesday. “Our reporters are engaged with the community, and that is reflected in our pages every day.”

CBC’s Gloria Macarenko, host of B.C. Almanac and Stephen Quinn, host of On The Coast, will emcee the event. Vancouver Sun reporter Kim Bolan will receive the 2017 Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Jack Webster Foundation was established in 1986 in honour of legendary B.C. reporter Jack Webster.

Three Times Colonist reporters have been nominated for a National Newspaper Award

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Source – The Times Colonist

Three Times Colonist reporters have been nominated for a National Newspaper Award for their five-day series on the fentanyl overdose crisis in Greater Victoria.

Sarah Petrescu, Katie DeRosa and Louise Dickson were nominated in the project category in the annual awards that recognize excellence in Canadian journalism.

The B.C. Coroners Service has reported that overdoses killed 922 people in 2016. The crisis is continuing this year, with 39 people on Vancouver Island dying of an illicit drug overdose in January and February.

With people dying in their homes, on the streets, in alleys and in public washrooms, Dr. Perry Kendall, provincial health officer, declared a public-health emergency last April.

Also nominated in the project category are a team from the Globe and Mail for stories on soldiers and veterans who died by suicide after serving in Afghanistan, as well as Kristy Kirkup and Sheryl Ubelacker from the Canadian Press for stories of indigenous Canadians terrorized by the emotional and physical impact of sexual abuse.

“We are delighted to be nominated, which is in itself a huge honour,” said Dave Obee, editor-in-chief of the Times Colonist. “This newspaper is consistently ranked with the top newspapers in the country, and we will continue to strive to deliver the best possible newspaper for our readers.”

The Times Colonist nomination is one of three for newspapers in British Columbia.

There are 70 nominations in 21 categories, selected from 959 entries of work published in 2016.

In the local reporting category, Joe Fries of the Penticton Herald was nominated for coverage of how government institutions respond to freedom-of-information requests. In the short feature category, Lori Culbert of the Vancouver Sun and The Province was nominated for a story about a hiking family following a new path after a tragic accident.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Toronto on May 5.

 

Labour Reporting award winners expose injustice of unpaid internships

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Source: CWA|SCA Canada

Three academics who documented the growing scourge of unpaid internships are this year’s winners of the Labour Reporting Award sponsored jointly by CWA Canada and the Canadian Association of Journalists.

Martin O’Hanlon, Director of CWA Canada, said Interns Unite! (You have nothing to lose — literally), published in November by the “fiercely independent” Briarpatch magazine, is an example of the quality, public-service journalism that is so sorely lacking in this country.

“This is a well-written, well-researched piece of journalism that tells an important story and exposes an injustice that is bad for society and bad for the economy: the exploitation of interns.

“As the country’s only all-media union, our focus is promoting and protecting quality jobs and quality journalism. That’s why we sponsor this award.”

Enda Brophy, Nicole Cohen and Greig de Peuter, who are collaborating on a research project on labour politics in the creative industries, were announced as the winners of the $1,000 prize at the CAJ’s annual conference held in Ottawa on the weekend.

The rampant growth of unpaid internships is a key issue for CWA Canada and its largest Local, the Canadian Media Guild (CMG), which represents a significant contingent of freelancers in this country. The CMG partnered with ACTRA and Ryerson’s Centre for Labour Management Relations to stage the Will Work for Exposure conference in October 2012 that addressed topics including wage theft, copyright and workers’ rights.

2012.10.29| Unpaid internships: A boon or a bane?

2012.10.24| Internships and the intersection of class struggle and opportunity

There were several CWA Canada members among the recipients of the 15 awards handed out at the CAJ gala. They include:

Glen McGregor (Ottawa Newspaper Guild) of The Ottawa Citizen who, along with Postmedia’s Stephen Maher, shared in the Open Newspaper / Wire Service category for “Dirty election tricks revealed.”

Gil Shochat, Alex Shprinsten, Joseph Loeiro (Canadian Media Guild) of the CBC News Investigative Unit, in the Open Television category for “Fatal Deception.”

Melissa Brousseau (Canadian Media Guild) of CBC North – Maamuitaau, in the Regional Television category for “Breaking the mold.”

Alison Motluk (Canadian Media Guild) of CBC Radio’s The Sunday Edition, in the Current Affairs category for “Wanted: Egg donor in good health.”

Jim Bronskill (Canadian Media Guild) of The Canadian Press, in the Scoop category for “Canada’s torture memos.”

Nahlah Ayed, Diane Grant (Canadian Media Guild) of CBC News – The National, won the JHR / CAJ Award for Human Rights Reporting for “Seeking safety.”

High School Grads – Apply for the Dreams of Jobs and Freedom Scholarship

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gradUnion Privilege and the AFL-CIO have announced a new scholarship program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. The one-time, $5,000 scholarships are for study for the academic year beginning in the fall of 2013 through summer 2014. They will be awarded to at least 50 talented high school seniors to help pay for the costs of higher education.

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his “I Have a Dream” speech as part of that historic March on Washington. This scholarship program honors the legacy of Dr. King’s speech and his dream that all of America’s children could have equal access and equal opportunity.

An application, including an essay, is required. The application deadline is July 1, 2013. For more information and to apply online, click here

 

Union salutes members winning media, journalism awards

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Les Leyne accepts the Michener Award on behalf of the Victoria Times Colonist from Governor-General David Johnston at the ceremony in Ottawa.

Source: cwa-scacanada.ca

CWA Canada extends congratulations to its members who are among the winners in this season of media awards.

Claiming the country’s top honours for public service journalism is the Victoria Times Colonist, which secured the coveted Michener Award. Columnist Les Leyne, a member of the Victoria-Vancouver Island Newspaper Guild, accepted the award on behalf of the newspaper in a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

The newspaper received the Michener for reporting on the plight of people with developmental disabilities when the B.C. government changed its policy to save money and to address a client backlog. Reporting by the Times Colonist forced the government to admit that it had been ushering people out of group homes, something it had long denied. The result was a change in policies and the commitment of $40 million to improve services.

The Michener judges awarded a Citation of Merit to CBC Vancouver for exposing systemic sexual harassment of women within the RCMP. Two reporters, Manjula Dufresne and Natalie Clancy, who are members of the Canadian Media Guild (CMG), were among the news team sharing the honour.

The Canadian Journalism Foundation this year named CBC Radio One’s The Current as the winner of its prestigious Excellence in Journalism Award. It celebrates news organizations that embrace the ideals of journalistic excellence in accuracy, independence, accountability, courage and originality.

In her acceptance speech at the awards gala in Toronto, program host and CMG member Anna Maria Tremonti urged her media colleagues to “take your journalism back.” She said they should take The Current‘s win as “an affirmation for all of us that hard-edged journalism — edgy, provocative journalistic efforts — will never be a liability in this country.”

Canada’s public broadcaster fared exceptionally well at the New York Festivals International Radio Awards on Tuesday, claiming 13 trophies. Almost all of the people who help produce the award-winning programs are members of the Canadian Media Guild, including such prominent hosts as Jian Ghomeshi, Michael Enright, Shelagh Rogers and Steve Patterson.

Times Colonist wins 2011 Michener Award

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Source: michenerawards.ca

Ottawa, June 12, 2012.

The Times Colonist in Victoria has won the 2011 Michener Award for its reporting on a B.C. government policy that reduced support for people with developmental disabilities, Russell Mills, President of the Michener Awards Foundation, announced today.

The coveted Michener Award was presented to Les Leyne, columnist for the Times Colonist, by His Excellency, The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada. The Victoria, B.C. newspaper was among six news organizations honoured at the ceremony.

The Michener Award, founded in 1970 by the late Roland Michener, then Governor-General, goes to news organizations of all sizes for articles, features and reports that make a significant impact on the public good and achieve identifiable results.

The Times Colonist received the award for reporting on the plight of people with developmental disabilities when the B.C. government changed its policy to save money and to address a client backlog at its underfunded agency, Community Living B.C. People were moved from their long-term residences to less expensive accommodation, lost needed assistance once they turned 19 or were left in jail or hospital because there was no where to go.

The newspaper demonstrated journalistic excellence and achieved clear results on behalf of a powerless and voiceless segment of society. The sustained coverage resulted in the reversal of government policy, a substantial increase in financial support for those with developmental disabilities, and administrative changes in the ministry of social development and Community Living B.C.

CWA Canada and CAJ launch new journalism award for excellence in labour reporting

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Source: cwa-scacanada.ca

Has your journalism advanced the Canadian public’s understanding of a labour issue? Have you been creative in telling stories about workers and their unions? Has your story had an impact on policy or law?

The Canadian Association of Journalists is pleased to announce there’s now an award for that — the CWA Canada / CAJ Award for Excellence in Labour Reporting.

This new award is being jointly sponsored by CWA Canada and its biggest Local, the Canadian Media Guild.

The award will be presented at the CAJ’s annual gala, to be held at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto on April 28, 2012. A $1,000 prize is up for grabs for the top labour-related reporting in either of Canada’s official languages.

“Labour reporting has played a vital role over the last century in highlighting workplace and social injustice and bringing progressive change,” says CWA Canada Director Martin O’Hanlon. “This award will honour and encourage reporting that shines a light on issues that affect millions of working Canadians.”

Submissions will be accepted from Canadian journalists, with priority given to stories on Canadian labour events and issues. The full details on eligibility criteria and how to apply will be released as part of the CAJ Awards package before the end of the year and will be posted at www.cwa-scacanada.ca, www.cmg.ca and www.caj.ca.

The new award joins the annual CAJ awards program, which recognizes the nation’s top investigative journalism across all media and excellence in journalism in several other categories.

“We’re proud to have CWA Canada and the CMG join our awards program,” says CAJ President Hugo Rodrigues. “This new award fits in well with our other award categories in rewarding and promoting journalism that makes a difference in the lives of Canadians.”

The CAJ is Canada’s largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing hundreds of members across the country. Its primary roles are to provide high-quality professional development for its members and public-interest advocacy.