2011 Honourable Mention
Who knew that 10,000 people in the First nation Island lake communities in Manitoba have no running water? In fact, they survive on less water a day and must walk further to get it than if they lived in a United nations refugee camp. The Winnipeg Free Press presented no running Water in three packages of stories in their weekend features section, on a special section of their website and followed up with news stories and a documentary. It was an extraordinary commitment of resources that has had a tremendous impact to-date.
Tyler Walsh was born and raised on a family farm near Marquette, Manitoba. He worked as a news producer at Global Winnipeg from 2003 to 2008. Tyler joined the Winnipeg Free Press as the news organization’s first ever multimedia editor in january 2008.
Helen Fallding was born in Australia and raised in southern ontario. Her first job as a reporter was with Northern Native Broadcasting Yukon and she worked briefly at the London Free Press and St. Catharines Standard before joining the Winnipeg Free Press in 1998. She was the Free Press’s brandon reporter, legislature bureau chief and then science reporter before becoming assistant city editor. She is currently on a leave of absence from the Free Press to manage the centre for Human rights research at the University of Manitoba.
Joe Bryksa was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He studied photojournalism at Red River College in Winnipeg and began his career 24 years ago at community and other newspapers in the city. He has worked at the Winnipeg Free Press for 16 years. It was Joe’s idea to investigate the lack of running water on Manitoba’s Island lake reserves.