Toronto Star reporters Jayme Poisson and David Bruser have been awarded the 2018 Canadian Hillman Prize for their investigative reporting into mercury contamination in the Grassy Narrows region in Ontario.

While the mercury poisoning of Grassy Narrows — started by a paper plant dumping 10 tonnes of mercury into the river near the Indigenous communities of Grassy Narrows and Whitedog from 1962 into the 1970s — has been reported on for decades, the Star investigation by Poisson and Bruser lead to the Ontario government pledging $85 million in 2017 to the cleanup of the area. The government had apparently been warned about the contamination as early as 1972, the investigation revealed.

Poisson and Bruser have written roughly thirty stories in an investigation that began in 2016, when they received a tip from a man who was once employed in the disposal of barrels of mercury in the area. The two journalists travelled to the area themselves in January 2017 to do some physical digging, and discovered up to 80 times the normal levels of mercury in the soil behind the site of the old paper mill. Later they would report on scientific findings that suggest the mill property is still an ongoing source of mercury to the river.

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Their latest story tracks the affects of the poisoning through three generations of Grassy Narrows residents.

Poisson and Bruser called the award “an honour.”

“Sidney Hillman Foundation ... embodies so much of what we strive for as journalists — to produce journalism in service of the public good. We are incredibly grateful to the people of Grassy Narrows for the access, trust and information they have provided us over the last two years,” Poisson said.

“Along the way we have also had much help and guidance from scientists and other sources, and invaluable feedback from readers, and to all of them we are also grateful,” Bruser added.

In announcing the winner, the Sidney Hillman Foundation wrote the Poisson and Bruser’s reporting “demonstrates the importance of sustained, persistent and substantive investigative journalism, in an era that makes such investments difficult to commit to, but which are more crucial to creating a just society than ever.”

The award was judged by Bonnie Brown, Tony Burman and Armine Yalnizyan.

“This story speaks volumes about Canada’s broken relationship with Indigenous people, as well as its environmental record,” said Brown. “The Toronto Star demonstrates how important it is to support sustained, persistent and substantive investigative journalism, especially in an era that makes such investments difficult to commit to. This investigation speaks to the important role journalists have in holding our governments accountable while seeking evidence-based justice on behalf of marginalized groups.”

The Sidney Hillman Foundation has been honouring U.S. journalists since 1950, and added the Canadian Hillman Prize in 2011. The aim is to honour journalists who investigate stories in service of the common good, and whose work positively impacts Canadians’ lives by affecting change.

There were two Honourable Mentions in this year’s award. VICE News’ investigation, “Canada’s Indigenous water crisis,” received mention for its look into the country’s failure to address the lack of clean water in more than 100 First Nations communities, and a collaborative investigation called “The Price of Oil” between The National Observer, Toronto Star and Global News was chosen for its exposure of the environmental cost of Canada’s oil and gas industry.

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“At a time when newsroom budgets are shrinking and resources for investigative journalism are slim, we saw a number of news outlets and university journalism programs come together to collaborate with scientists, experts, and each other,” said Alex Dagg, Canadian Board Member of the Sidney Hillman Foundation and Airbnb’s Director of Canadian Public Policy. “It is impressive to see news organizations serving the public interest through cooperation, not competition, leveraging each other’s strengths and connections.”

There will be a ceremony in Toronto on March 28 to honour Poisson, Bruser and the recipients of the Honourable Mentions.