Secret Canada wins prestigious FOI award
Published on April 9, 2024
We’re beyond thrilled that Secret Canada has been recognized with an award from the U.S.-based Investigative Reporters and Editors association. IRE is one of the world’s foremost investigative journalism groups, and its yearly awards are some of the most prestigious international awards in the field. Secret Canada won IRE’s “FOI Award,” which goes to an “individual or organization whose significant actions further open records or open government.”
Here’s the judges: “This sweeping report from The Globe and Mail is one of the most ambitious public records projects ever published. Its bold combination of investigative analysis and public education reconnected a nation with the democratic ideals enshrined in its freedom of information law.”
The project also won an IRE Medal, one of the most prestigious prizes from the IRE Awards overall. We’re in good company there: The other two medalists were Bloomberg, for an investigation into how the U.S. government profits and promotes gun sales around the world, and ProPublica, for its searing series on ethical lapses and conflicts of interest at the United States Supreme Court.
Members of the Secret Canada team will be headed to Anaheim, Calif., this summer to accept the award (and medal!).
If you’re interested in revisiting the Secret Canada investigation, below is a selection of our most significant pieces.
What to read
Ontario doctor’s fight for his employment records reveals flaws in Canada’s FOI system
Redacted and out of reach: Canada’s access laws keep the country’s history locked away
How a political scandal in Newfoundland gave rise to the country’s most transparent FOI system
How can Canada fix its FOI systems? Norway, Mexico and others may offer solutions
When public officials withhold or destroy records in Canada, they rarely face consequences
Editorial: Feeble FOI laws need teeth and consequences
A look at the lapses and delays for FOI requests from ministries across Canada
Alberta rejects requests for data on freedom of information system a second time
Alberta’s information watchdog opens systemic probe into ministries’ handling of access requests
Editorial: How Alberta is turning freedom of information into a Why Do You Need To Know Act
Saskatchewan information watchdog’s lack of power lets institutions skirt access law
Nova Scotia’s freedom of information system understaffed, lacks power, watchdog says
New Brunswick’s access regime among the most restrictive in Canada, Globe audit finds
What to listen to
The Decibel: The information laws governments keep breaking
The Decibel: The ‘black hole’ of Canada’s immigration system
The Decibel: Canada’s broken information laws keep history in the dark
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