Spectator’s Steve Buist wins national honour
He was awarded along with the Toronto Star’s Rachel Mendelson for investigation into police services that violate fundamental rights
The Hamilton Spectator’s Steve Buist and the Toronto Star’s Rachel Mendleson have won the 13th annual Canadian Hillman Prize for “Unchartered,” their investigation into how police forces across the country were violating fundamental rights with alarming frequency. “Forty years after the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms set out the limits for acceptable police behaviour, Mendleson and Buist’s investigative reporting brought to light for the first time how often those rules are violated,” said the press release issued Tuesday announcing the winners. “Across the country, they uncovered over 600 reported cases of serious and sometimes violent police misconduct — from illegal stops, searches, arrests and detention, to denials of individuals’ right to counsel.” This is the second time Buist has won the national honour. He won the inaugural 2011 Hillman Prize for his groundbreaking Code Red series, which showed how social and economic factors such as poverty and low education have strong connections to poor health outcomes across Hamilton’s neighbourhoods.
Buist retired last year after a distinguished career at The Spectator that earned him more than 90 provincial, national and international awards and nominations, as well as an honorary doctorate from McMaster University.
“What was astounding to us when we looked across the country was not just the volume of cases where officers had seriously violated the fundamental rights of people,” said Buist.
“We were also astounded to find that in some cases, officers weren’t even aware that they’d been found by a judge to have seriously violated people’s Charter rights. How can we fix this problem when officers aren’t even being told there’s a problem?
The investigation has also been nominated for a Canadian Association of Journalists award, which will be decided April 15.
Spectator editor-in-chief Paul Berton praised Buist’s accomplishment.
“Wow, an important award and worthy recipient. Yet another accolade for a reporter who’s had a remarkable career,” he said.
The Canadian Hillman Prize has been awarded annually since 2011 by the Sidney Hillman Foundation. It recognizes excellence in journalism “in service of the common good.”
The Foundation will host an event on March 30 in Toronto to celebrate the honourees.