Toronto (March 18, 2025) - The Sidney Hillman Foundation announced today the winners of the 15th annual Canadian Hillman Prizes:
- Print/Digital – Grant Robertson and Kathryn Blaze Baum at The Globe and Mail for “The Algorithm”
- Broadcast – Eric Szeto, Avery Haines, Maria Teresa Scotti, Jerry Vienneau, Angelo Altomare for “Narco Jungle: The Darién Gap” for CTV W5
- Local News – Drew Anderson of The Narwhal for “’We will not lie’: Inside Alberta’s renewables pause”
The Globe and Mail reported on three avoidable deaths because of a listeria outbreak at a major food processing facility. It was a story about failures at the top of the country’s food safety system, poorly designed oversight, the dangers of industry policing itself, and the diminishment of inspectors within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. For the past five years, the Agency had been using an algorithm to determine its inspection priorities, instead of relying on human expertise and judgment. For the same five years, there had been no inspection of the facility where the listeria outbreak occurred.
In response to the escalating challenges faced by migrants, CTV W5 embarked on a daring and perilous journey to document and expose the harrowing realities faced by those fleeing economic collapse, political instability, and religious persecution. In their broadcast “Narco Jungle: The Darién Gap,” and their follow-up “Narco Jungle: Death Train,” they uncovered the exploitation, violence, and systemic abuses facing those who risk everything for a chance at a new life. Immersed for five days in the unforgiving jungle, the team witnessed a shocking scale of human suffering, from violent assaults to loss of life. The team’s investigative work revealed the dark underbelly of the migrant crisis, highlighting how organized criminals exploit the most vulnerable.
Drew Anderson, Prairie reporter for The Narwhal, investigated Alberta’s seven-month moratorium on the approval of new renewable energy projects. Through a series of persistent Freedom of Information searches, he discovered that the government’s claims that independent energy agencies had initiated the idea were false. In fact, internal correspondence showed the head of the agency responsible for operating the province’s electrical grid was downright opposed to the moratorium, and he predicted it would send the industry into a tailspin. Senior officials vowed to the government, “We will not lie.”
“By uncovering the truth and holding the powerful to account, these journalists are demonstrating the importance of investigative reporting,” said Alex Dagg, Canadian board member of the Sidney Hillman Foundation. “Their courage and dedication exemplify the very essence of journalistic integrity, and we are honored to celebrate their outstanding contributions.”
The Sidney Hillman Foundation will celebrate the honourees on April 3rd in Toronto.
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The Sidney Hillman Foundation honours excellence in journalism in service of the common good. U.S. Hillman Prizes have been awarded annually since 1950 and the Canadian Hillman Prize since 2011.
