The 2019 Canadian Hillman Prize goes to the CBC’s Fifth Estate for “Unbuckled: School Bus Safety,” a sweeping investigation that began with a simple question: “Why aren’t seatbelts required on the buses that ferry 2 million Canadian kids to school each day?” Transport Canada, the agency that regulates the buses, claimed that school bus belts were unnecessary and possibly even dangerous. 

In the course of their four-month investigation, Bob McKeown, Harvey Cashore and Kimberly Ivany found that Transport Canada failed to disclose their own internal research showing that seatbelts could have prevented thousands of injuries and several deaths. Amazingly, in the wake of the broadcast, Transport Canada issued its first ever statement that school bus belts do indeed prevent injuries.

An honorable mention goes to The Toronto Star for “The Fix: One Peel nursing home took a gamble on fun, life and love.”

A second honorable mention goes to “Sidewalk Toronto,” by The Logic, a critical examination of The Alphabet’s Sidewalk Toronto Project on the Toronto waterfront.

Click here for full details about our winners and honorees. 

We will mark the 9th Annual Canadian Hillman Prize with a ceremony and reception on March 28 in Toronto. 

The Best of the Week’s News: 

• Trump watched the Super Bowl with the founder of the salon where the Pats’ owner was busted for buying sex. 
   
• Hillman Prize-winner Jane Mayer on the unholy alliance between Fox News and the Trump White House.
   
• Will labor issues (finally) come to the fore in 2020?
   
• Surviving Civilization: The traumatic legacy of “boarding schools” for indigenous children
   
• The 108th Commemoration of the Triangle Fire will be held at noon on March 25th at the corner of Washington Place and Greene St in NYC.