The Globe and Mail led nominations for British Columbia’s prestigious Jack Webster Awards, with judges noting work on the Tumbler Ridge school shooting and on the impact of the B.C. Supreme Court’s decision in the Cowichan case, among other work.
asserted
judges → lead → work
In all, Globe journalists received eight nominations, while the CBC received seven and The Tyee and the Investigative Journalism Foundation were named in four each.
asserted
Tyee → receive → four
Canadian newsrooms do not have the same amount of experience as their U.S. counterparts in responding to deadly gun violence in schools.
asserted
newsrooms → have → schools
Last February, when violence erupted in Tumbler Ridge, The Globe had to develop a plan quickly.
asserted
Globe → erupt → plan
The Globe’s newsroom mobilized immediately, drawing in every one of its news reporters in British Columbia, as well as journalists from Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto.
asserted
newsroom → mobilize → Calgary
The coverage included a story published just hours after the shooting occurred with vivid language and meticulous reporting.
asserted
shooting → include → language
Nathan VanderKlippe reported on a conversation with a 12-year-old student who, only hours earlier, had been comforted while hiding in a closet with classmates.
asserted
who → report → classmates
A day later, The Globe exclusively reported that the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, had suffered mental health challenges so significant that she had once set fire to a bed in her family home while under the influence of psychedelic mushrooms.
asserted
she → report → mushrooms
The story included important context about the struggles the family was having in getting the shooter psychological help, and it revealed disturbing social media messages linked to the shooter that foreshadowed what was to come.
asserted
what → include → shooter
All the information derived from social media posts was meticulously cross-
asserted
information → derive → posts
The Globe’s work on the Tumbler Ridge shooting was also nominated for the international Online Journalism Award.
asserted
work → nominate → Award
Legislative reporter Justine Hunter led The Globe’s coverage of the explosive B.C. Supreme Court ruling in the Cowichan Indigenous land rights case, work that was awarded a Webster nomination in the news category.
asserted
that → lead → category
Ms. Hunter’s collaboration with city reporter Frances Bula revealed for the first time the long reach of the decision, including its effects on other court cases and treaty negotiations, and its implications for municipalities, whose ability to levy taxes on urban land declared to be under Aboriginal title was thrown into question.
asserted
ability → reveal → question
Ms. Hunter also received nominations for her interactive look at the dangers of navigating the Hecate Strait and for a feature retracing the steps of the plucky 20-year-old woman who helped map Strathcona Park in the summer of 1910.
asserted
who → receive → 1910
Andrea Woo was also nominated in the feature category, for an in-depth piece on the exacting science, money and labour behind creating a playing field for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
asserted
Woo → nominate → Cup
The reporting went behind the scenes to explore the massive, largely invisible effort required to build pitches capable of performing identically across 16 stadiums, three countries and radically different climates.
asserted
reporting → go → stadiums
Opinion columnist Marsha Lederman received her third consecutive Webster nomination this year, this time for her thoughtful look back at how the reputation of popular author Steven Galloway disintegrated over explosive allegations of sexual misconduct.
asserted
reputation → receive → misconduct
Lederman looked at the 10 years of lawsuits and conflict within Canada’s literary community left in the scandal’s wake.
asserted
Lederman → look → wake
Legal affairs reporter David Ebner received a nomination in the legal category for a piece examining Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pledge to bring in stricter bail rules.
asserted
Ebner → receive → rules
Photographer and reporter Jesse Winter was among the first nominees in the new picture category for a photo of a Squamish-area resident packing their belongings as they prepared to evacuate their home while a wildfire burned in the forests above.
asserted
wildfire → pack → forests
The Jack Webster Foundation was created in 1986 after the retirement of its namesake.
asserted
Foundation → create → namesake
Mr. Webster was a well known, influential reporter in Western Canada, and the organization says the awards are meant to create a community where B.C. journalism thrives.
asserted
journalism → know → community
The Aporia
