Canadian Journalism Foundation

06/02/2026

CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting Finalist Spotlight: Chloe Williams

Chloe Williams, with photographer Gavin John, was shortlisted for “On solid ice: the plan to refreeze the Arctic” in The Narwhal. Williams and John travelled to Cambridge Bay, Nvt., to report on the disappearing sea ice and its impacts on Inuit communities, as well as an ambitious scientific idea to thicken it.

Nicole MacAdam calls the reporting "a fully realized account of what it means to be an Inuit community living inside a climate crisis, engaging with an imperfect intervention on its own terms."

Read the story: https://thenarwhal.ca/real-ice-cambridge-bay-nunavut

The CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting celebrates a journalist or team of journalists whose work shines a spotlight on climate change and innovative solutions. CJF thanks the generosity of founding award sponsor Intact Financial Corporation for providing the award's $10,000 prize.

The winner will be announced at the 2026 Evening on June 10 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Learn more: https://cjf-fjc.ca/2026-cjf-awards

06/02/2026

CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting Finalist Spotlight: Lauren Watson

Lauren Watson, with editor Jen St. Denis, was shortlisted for “Squamish's 11-Day Fire Drill/A Wildfire Threatened Squamish. Your Town Could Be Next,” published in The Tyee, which took a narrative approach to exploring how a community can respond to wildfire risk in a changing climate, particularly in coastal rainforest communities that historically have not had to worry about out-of-control forest fires.

The story examines the lessons from the Dryden Creek fire and highlights existing strategies to better prepare Squamish and similar communities for the future.

The article, says jury member Allison Reynaud, "offers a clear and human-centered account of wildfire preparedness and response, highlighting both individual actions and community solidarity."

Read the story: https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/06/24/Squamish-11-Day-Fire-Drill

The CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting, which comes with a $10,000 prize, celebrates a journalist or team of journalists whose work shines a spotlight on climate change and innovative solutions. The winner will be announced at the 2026 Evening on June 10 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Learn more: https://cjf-fjc.ca/2026-cjf-awards

06/01/2026

CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting Finalist Spotlight: TVO’s The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka team

The team at TVO's The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka (Nam Kiwanuka, Jeyan Jeganathan, Diego Garcia, Lyn Rowett, Erica Giancola, Chantale Dahmer, Ali Zaidi, Max Stussi, Ricardo Diaz, Cabot McNenly, Stephan Charles and Elizabeth St. Philip) was shortlisted for “Extreme Weather,” an episode exploring the alarming rise in extreme weather events and their devastating effects on Ontario, which combines a compelling first-person story, with cutting-edge scientific research and solutions that are practical and empowering.

Jury chair Bob Ezrin calls the episode "Powerfully produced; informative and evocative." He says, "This is exactly the kind of piece people need to see to fully 'get' the implications of climate change and the effects it can have on their lives."

Watch: https://www.tvo.org/video/extreme-weather

The CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting, which comes with a $10,000 prize, celebrates a journalist or team of journalists whose work shines a spotlight on climate change and innovative solutions. The winner will be announced at the 2026 Evening on June 10 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Learn more: https://cjf-fjc.ca/2026-cjf-awards

06/01/2026

CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting Finalist Spotlight: Marco Chown Oved

Marco Chown Oved, Climate Change Reporter at The Toronto Star, was shortlisted for “The Coming Firestorm,” a three-part series combining first-person reporting with investigative muckracking and scientific research that makes it clear climate change is supercharging forest fires, fuelling a threat of a different order of magnitude than in the past, and that the province of Ontario has been unable to keep up.

"What Chown Oved's piece does is to hold governments accountable for a clear policy solution," says juror Nicole MacAdam. "This is a strong investigative piece of work that is backed by a lot of research and digging."

Read the series:
• “Ontario needs more forest fire fighters, so I signed up”: https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/ontario-needs-more-forest-fire-fighters-so-i-signed-up/article_3f67a3a7-2e0d-4d53-b49a-73730c1c06a8.html
• “They say Muskoka won’t burn. But climate has changed the calculus”: https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/they-say-muskoka-won-t-burn-but-climate-has-changed-the-calculus/article_5342eb56-1143-4981-b534-503c598e3afe.html
• “The next big wildfires are coming — but Ontario doesn’t have nearly enough firefighters”: https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/the-next-big-wildfires-are-coming-but-ontario-doesn-t-have-nearly-enough-firefighters/article_e9e2e444-dbf0-4160-8013-6ffa3a7fc55f.html

The CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting, which comes with a $10,000 prize, celebrates a journalist or team of journalists whose work shines a spotlight on climate change and innovative solutions. The winner will be announced at the 2026 Evening on June 10 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Learn more:https://cjf-fjc.ca/2026-cjf-awards

06/01/2026

CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting Finalist Spotlight: Philippe Mercure

Philippe Mercure of La Presse was shortlisted for his story, “La Presse en Espagne : pour une révolution verte... et juste.” Mercure travelled to Spain to report on that country's efforts to transform regions historically dependent on coal extraction into models for a new, lower-carbon, biodiversity-friendly economy.

Following his reporting, Mercure organized a roundtable in the city of Saguenay, in the heart of a forestry region, to explore whether Spain might serve as a model for Quebec.

Juror Jean-Marc Fleury calls Mercure's reporting "very convincing, well documented, and superbly written."

See his reporting:
• “La Presse en Espagne: Pour une révolution verte… et juste”: https://www.lapresse.ca/contexte/la-presse-en-espagne-un-monde-de-solutions/pour-une-revolution-verte-et-juste/2025-02-02/la-loi-de-la-dynamite.php
• “Table ronde: Appuyer sur l’accélérateur de la transition juste”: https://www.lapresse.ca/dialogue/chroniques/2025-02-13/table-ronde/appuyer-sur-l-accelerateur-de-la-transition-juste.php

The CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting, which comes with a $10,000 prize, celebrates a journalist or team of journalists whose work shines a spotlight on climate change and innovative solutions. The winner will be announced at the 2026 Evening on June 10 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Learn more:https://cjf-fjc.ca/2026-cjf-awards

06/01/2026

05/29/2026

Landsberg Award Finalist Spotlight: Rianna Lim

Rianna Lim was shortlisted for a The Canadian Press News report highlighting the growing gap between rising rates of intimate partner violence faced by rural women and the fragile, underfunded shelter systems meant to support them. It underscores how geographic isolation, limited services and looming funding cuts leave vulnerable women at risk of falling through systemic cracks.

Jury member Laura-Julie Perreault calls Lim's entry "a well-written article that gives a complete picture of women who face domestic violence in rural Ontario." She notes, "A great testimony, analysis and plenty of experts make this a well-balanced, informative and touching piece."

Read the story: https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/politics/enormous-disconnect-as-rural-women-face-more-abuse-ontario-shelters-fear-cutbacks/article_e96c35d8-461c-55c2-83f0-c1a2637955cc.html

The Landsberg Award celebrates a journalist, or journalists, enhancing awareness of women’s equality issues. The winner will be announced at the 2026 Evening on June 10 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Learn more:https://cjf-fjc.ca/2026-cjf-awards

05/29/2026

Landsberg Award Finalist Spotlight: Emma Jarratt

Emma Jarratt of the Investigative Journalism Bureau (additional contributors: Stacey Kuznetsova, Jenna Olsen, Lori Culbert, Dori Seeman and Robert Cribb) was shortlisted for her investigations centring women's lived experiences and challenging power structures that put marginalized women at risk. These include a multiyear investigation into sexual misconduct by Canadian lawyers and a forensic year‑long project documenting every killing or suspicious death of a woman in Canada, uncovering gaps that minimize, misclassify or erase women's deaths.

Jury member Denise Balkissoon noted, "The breadth of the investigation was remarkable, and the impact undeniable."

Read the stories:
• “What the Law Society of Ontario isn’t telling you about your lawyer” by Emma Jarratt and Robert Cribb: https://ijb.utoronto.ca/news/what-the-law-society-of-ontario-isnt-telling-you-about-your-lawyer
• “The ‘insane’ number of women being killed in Canada” by Emma Jarratt, Stacey Kuznetsova, Lori Culbert and Jenna Olsen: https://ijb.utoronto.ca/news/the-insane-number-of-women-being-killed-in-canada

The Landsberg Award celebrates a journalist, or journalists, enhancing awareness of women’s equality issues. The winner will be announced at the 2026 Evening on June 10 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Learn more:https://cjf-fjc.ca/2026-cjf-awards

05/29/2026

Landsberg Award Finalist Spotlight: Rima Elkouri

Rima Elkouri of La Presse was shortlisted for a series of columns examining the fragility of women's rights amid growing backlash, persistent gender-based violence and unequal power structures. Together, they argue that meaningful progress depends on sustained vigilance, systemic change and greater representation of women in leadership.

Jury chair Sally Armstrong calls the columns "outstanding," "forceful" and "very brave," noting that they "attack what needs to be spoken about today."

Read the stories:
• “Le 8 mars du grand ressac” by Rima Elkouri: https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/chroniques/2025-03-07/journee-internationale-des-droits-des-femmes/le-8-mars-du-grand-ressac.php
• “Si la vie des femmes compte” by Rima Elkouri: https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/chroniques/2025-10-15/violence-conjugale/si-la-vie-des-femmes-compte.php
• “L’urgence de féminiser le pouvoir” by Rima Elkouri: https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/chroniques/2025-10-27/l-urgence-de-feminiser-le-pouvoir.php

The Landsberg Award celebrates a journalist, or journalists, enhancing awareness of women’s equality issues. The winner will be announced at the 2026 Evening on June 10 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Learn more:https://cjf-fjc.ca/2026-cjf-awards

05/28/2026

Landsberg Award Finalist Spotlight: Shellene Drakes-Tull

Shellene Drakes-Tull was shortlisted for articles in the The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail centring Black Canadian women's voices, in order to disrupt institutional silence, expose systemic failures, and assert the legitimacy of experiences too often dismissed or ignored, while reminding Black women readers that they are not alone.

Says Michele Landsberg: "Drakes-Tull briskly tears away the veil of complacency that obscures the double jeopardy faced by Black women in the health system. She doesn't have to spell out 'intersectionality'; her writing embodies it."

Read the stories:
• “Opinion | To improve Black women’s health, it must first be understood” by Shellene Drakes-Tull for the Toronto Star: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/to-improve-black-womens-health-it-must-first-be-understood/article_e1f9a6af-8ad5-4290-9ccf-dd8085eb4f5c.html
• “The heavy toll of misogynoir on Black women in the workplace” by Shellene Drakes-Tull for The Globe and Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-the-heavy-toll-of-misogynoir-on-black-women-in-the-workplace

The Landsberg Award celebrates a journalist, or journalists, enhancing awareness of women’s equality issues. The winner will be announced at the 2026 Evening on June 10 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Learn more:https://cjf-fjc.ca/2026-cjf-awards