CJF announces Climate Solutions Reporting Award finalists
TORONTO, April 21, 2026 /CNW/ - The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) is proud to announce its shortlist for the annual CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting that celebrates a journalist or team of journalists whose work shines a spotlight on climate change and innovative solutions. The award is open to work in Canadian print, broadcast or online media.
CJF thanks the generosity of founding award sponsor Intact Financial Corporation for providing the award's $10,000 prize.
"Congratulations to this year's Climate Solutions Reporting finalists," says Mel Wright, Vice President Communications, Intact Financial Corporation. "In a time of growing climate uncertainty, journalists play a crucial role – asking hard questions, grounding the public conversation in facts, and highlighting solutions that can be scaled. That's why we're proud to support the CJF and the independent reporting that helps Canadians close the gap between concern and preparedness. At Intact, we're committed to building resilient communities and helping Canadians adapt to the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Through Keep It Intact, our national prevention initiative, we're equipping homeowners with practical steps to mitigate risks and prepare their homes for a changing climate."
The five finalists for this year's award and their stories or series shortlisted are:
Philippe Mercure of La Presse for La Presse en Espagne : pour une révolution verte... et juste. Mercure travelled to Spain to report on that country's efforts to transform regions historically dependent on coal extraction into models for a new, lower-carbon, biodiversity-friendly economy. Following his reporting, Mercure organized a roundtable in the city of Saguenay, in the heart of a forestry region, to explore whether Spain might serve as a model for Quebec. Juror Jean-Marc Fleury calls Mercure's reporting "very convincing, well documented, and superbly written."
Marco Chown Oved, Climate Change Reporter at the Toronto Star for The Coming Firestorm, Oved's three-part series combining first-person reporting with investigative muckracking and scientific research that makes it clear climate change is supercharging forest fires, fuelling a threat of a different order of magnitude than in the past, and that the province of Ontario has been unable to keep up. "What Chown Oved's piece does is to hold governments accountable for a clear policy solution," says juror Nicole MacAdam. "This is a strong investigative piece of work that is backed by a lot of research and digging."
The team at TVO's The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka (Nam Kiwanuka, Jeyan Jeganathan, Diego Garcia, Lyn Rowett, Erica Giancola, Chantale Dahmer, Ali Zaidi, Max Stussi, Ricardo Diaz, Cabot McNenly, Stephan Charles, Elizabeth St. Philip) for Extreme Weather, an episode exploring the alarming rise in extreme weather events and their devastating effects on Ontario, which combines a compelling first-person story, with cutting-edge scientific research and solutions that are practical and empowering. Jury chair Bob Ezrin calls the episode "Powerfully produced; informative and evocative." He says: "This is exactly the kind of piece people need to see to fully 'get' the implications of climate change and the effects it can have on their lives."
Lauren Watson, with editor Jen St. Denis, for Squamish's 11-Day Fire Drill/A Wildfire Threatened Squamish. Your Town Could Be Next, published in The Tyee, which took a narrative approach to exploring how a community can respond to wildfire risk in a changing climate, particularly in coastal rainforest communities that historically have not had to worry about out-of-control forest fires. The story examines the lessons from the Dryden Creek fire and highlights existing strategies to better prepare Squamish and similar communities for the future. The article, says jury member Allison Reynaud, "offers a clear and human-centered account of wildfire preparedness and response, highlighting both individual actions and community solidarity."
Chloe Williams. with Photographer Gavin John, for On solid ice: the plan to refreeze the Arctic in The Narwhal. Williams and John travelled to Cambridge Bay, Nvt., to report on the disappearing sea ice and its impacts on Inuit communities, as well as an ambitious scientific idea to thicken it. MacAdam calls the reporting "a fully realized account of what it means to be an Inuit community living inside a climate crisis, engaging with an imperfect intervention on its own terms."
Jury chair Bob Ezrin says "This year's entries were of very high quality across many different outlets, illustrating a growing demand for Climate reporting, and demonstrating that the essential messages regarding our changing climate and the steps required to address the change are reaching more people in more effective ways. These stories make climate change personal, and the best of them make it emotionally relevant and real to the reader. All of this year's entries told important stories very well and represented significant contributions to the public understanding of the effects of climate change and the ways in which we are confronting the often-devastating challenges it poses."
All finalists' story submissions are available on our awards page.
The winner will be announced at the CJF annual awards ceremony on June 10 at the Royal York Hotel. For tickets, tables and sponsorship opportunities, see contact information below or visit the CJF Awards page.
The jury members are:
- Bob Ezrin, O.C. (chair), Music and entertainment producer, educator, serial activist and CJF board member;
- Naresh Fernandes, editor, Scroll.in;
- Jean-Marc Fleury, Professeur associé, Département d'information et de communication, Université Laval
- Toby Heaps, CEO and co-founder Corporate Knights;
- Nicole MacAdam, Vice-president communications, WWF-Canada; and
- Allison Reynaud, Directrice générale, résilience climatique, Québec, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation | Centre Intact d'adaptation au climat
CIBC is the presenting sponsor of the 2026 CJF Awards.
The 2026 CJF Awards are supported by Google News Initiative, Rogers, Aritzia, BMO Financial Group, Canada Life, Sobeys, TD Bank Group, Intact, CBC/Radio-Canada, Canadian Medical Association, McCain Foods, RBC, Scotiabank, FGS Longview, KPMG, WSP, Canadian Bankers Association, Aga Khan Development Network, AI Safety Foundation, Barry and Laurie Green, CIGI, Canada's National Observer, CPPIB, Definity Insurance, Fidelity Investments, The Globe and Mail, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Maple Leaf Foods, McDonald's Canada, The New York Times, OLG, OMERS, Ontario Securities Commission, Real Content Networks, Rishi Nolan Strategies, TD Securities, Uber, Village Media, Weber Shandwick, Zai Mamdani/Mamdani Family Foundation
Cision is the exclusive distribution partner of the CJF.
About the Canadian Journalism Foundation
Established in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes, celebrates and facilitates excellence in journalism. The foundation runs a prestigious annual awards and fellowship program featuring an industry gala where news leaders, journalists and corporate Canada gather to celebrate outstanding journalistic achievement and the value of professional journalism. Through monthly J-Talks, a public speakers' series, the CJF facilitates dialogue among journalists, business people, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society and the ongoing challenges for media in the digital era. The foundation also fosters opportunities for journalism education, training and research.
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SOURCE The Canadian Journalism Foundation
For further information: Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, E-mail: [email protected].
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