Allan Thompson

Winner of Gordon Sinclair bursary will travel to Kiribati to document threat of climate change

Toronto (July 17, 2024) – One young Canadian reporter will embark on an extended reporting trip to the Republic of Kiribati in the central Pacific Ocean through the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary.

Kiribati may soon be the first country that rising sea levels will swallow up because of climate change. No part of the country’s land mass rises more than a few meters above the ocean and its Indigenous peoples may soon be forced to become climate refugees.

Megan King, a Global News reporter in Halifax, will produce an in-depth video series with full online and social media treatment. It will highlight the damage already done by rising sea levels, and what is to come if action isn’t taken on a global scale. King plans to spend six weeks reporting in Kiribati and its neighbouring islands to share stories of Kiribatians still holding onto hope for their homeland. She will bring her findings back to Canada and meet with the people of Pictou Landing and Cape Breton about the threats they face because of climate change.

“I’m honoured to receive the Roving Reporter Bursary. I look forward to talking to people that live in Kiribati, as well as environmental activists that are currently working to build walls and sustain the communities on the island for as long as possible.”

King has worked in various roles at Global News in Toronto, Kingston, and currently in Halifax. She is a digital broadcast journalist and tells stories that range from human interest pieces on homelessness, healthcare and municipal affairs — all the way to stories where she jumps out of a plane or chases a storm! King graduated from Western University’s Master of Media in Journalism and Communication program in 2020 and from Fanshawe College’s Broadcast Journalism program in 2019. During her time on the East Coast, she has developed a deeper interest in exploring the threats posed by rising sea levels to communities living along the coastline.

“The opportunity to hear firsthand accounts from people around the world on this issue is extremely exciting,” King said. “I can’t wait to learn and bring back my findings to Canadians with the hope of learning from the situations of others.”

**Megan King, bottom right, meets by Zoom with the board of directors of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation.**

“We are excited to support an early career journalist to travel to such a remote part of the world to tell a story that is relevant for all Canadians,” said Allan Thompson, President of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation. In 1986 Thompson was the first young journalist to receive funding from the Gordon Sinclair Foundation.

“We are happy to be able to support a Canadian journalist to report on an issue as import as climate change,” said Foundation Executive Producer Jeremy Copeland. “It is an honour to be help a journalist like Megan to pursue her dream of reporting abroad.”

King is the latest in a long line of young journalists who have been awarded funding by the Gordon Sinclair Foundation to undertake reporting expeditions around the world. Previous Bursary recipients have produced stories for multiple outlets, including the CBC, Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail.

The Roving Reporter Bursary was created in memory of Gordon Sinclair, who made his name reporting around the world for the Toronto Star in the 1930s. The bursary was established by friends of the remarkable journalist, author, radio commentator and television personality who was one of Canada’s most enduring celebrities until his death in 1984. Sinclair earned that celebrity during a career that included periods with the Toronto Star, CFRB radio and as a panelist on CBC’s long-running news quiz program Front Page Challenge.

At a time when most news organizations have cut back on travel, the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary is meant to support a major research and reporting trip by an early career Canadian journalist who has within the past five years graduated from one of Canada’s university-level journalism programs. The purpose of the $15,000 bursary is to encourage a young journalist to get off the beaten track and to spend a minimum of six weeks away on a reporting assignment.

Last year the Foundation awarded three Roving Reporter Bursaries after missing two years due to Covid.

Ania Bessonov spent several weeks reporting in Central Asia on the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Russians, many of which come from ethnic minorities. They fled Russia because of President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Bessonov is a multi-platform journalist at CBC News.

https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/ethnic-russian-migration

Isaac Phan Nay travelled to Ontario’s Ring of Fire region to produce a podcast that explored how local communities are reacting to provincial plans to heavily mine the region. Phan Nay is a freelance journalist and a recent graduate from Carleton’s journalism program.

https://www.nationalobserver.com/podcast/road/road

Jade Prévost-Manuel spent several weeks in Morrocco investigating the local impact of Canadian recruitment of qualified nurses and health care workers from North African countries. Prévost-Manuel is a freelance journalist and former CBC Joan Donaldson Scholar.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-morocco-desperately-needs-more-nurses-canada-is-hiring-them-away

Information about applying for the Roving Reporter Bursary can be found at: https://gordonsinclairfoundation.ca/the-gordon-sinclair-roving-reporter-bursary/

Sinclair Foundation board marks the passing of Connie Sinclair

The passing of CBC broadcaster Connie Sinclair was marked by the members of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation at their annual board meeting, a gathering that she attended many times over the years.

Connie Sinclair passed away on Feb. 2 after an ongoing battle with cancer. She was a former newsreader at CBC Radio, in Toronto, but also a third-generation broadcaster. She was the daughter of former CJAD Montreal news director Gord Sinclair Jr. Her grandfather Gordon Sinclair, the legendary journalist, CFRB host and “Front Page Challenge” mainstay, is the namesake of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation.

Connie was invited many years ago to join the board of directors of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation, which was established in 1986 after friends of her grandfather created a university scholarship for recent journalism graduates to honour his memory. The stated purpose of the original award was to encourage a recent journalism graduate to embark on another year of study that would enrich them as journalists. The award was presented 22 times in the years that followed.

In 2011, the foundation decided to review its mandate and examine the contribution the annual award was making to journalism. A decision was made to revamp the annual competition to make it more relevant to young journalists – a decision strongly supported at the time by Connie Sinclair. The Foundation decided to use the endowment to create the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary, to support a research and reporting trip by an early career Canadian journalist who has recently graduated from one of Canada’s university-level journalism programs.

Each year, the winner of the bursary was introduced at the annual meeting of the board and Connie was always glad to meet the next journalist who was about to head off on an exciting adventure thanks to the foundation named for her grandfather, the legendary broadcaster.

“I remember how great it was to have her there on the board, when she would regale us with stories of Gordon Sinclair,” said Allan Thompson, president of the foundation. “It is very sad not to have Connie around the table with us. She was a great person, a terrific journalist and provided a connection to the Sinclair family.”

Sinclair began her career in radio, as an anchor at NewTalk 1010 and later as the afternoon newsreader for CBC Radio in Toronto. She is survived by her husband, two children, three grandchildren and two sisters.

Sinclair Foundation mourns the death of CFRB veteran Don Johnston, 91

It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing of Don Johnston – the long-time news director of CFRB radio in Toronto and founding member of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation. Don died on Monday, in his 92^nd year.

As a longstanding colleague and close friend of the controversial Gordon Sinclair, Johnston was a driving force in the movement to raise funds and set up a charitable foundation in Gordon Sinclair’s honour after the broadcaster’s death in 1984.

But Don was a major figure in Canadian broadcasting in his own right. In 1972 he left CHML Hamilton to accept the position of News Director of CFRB. Don enjoyed a long and successful career as a news executive with CFRB in its glory days when the station had an outsized influence on public affairs and the national conversation through its programming, in some ways a precursor to talk radio.

Over the years, Don was a stalwart member of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation, which initially offered a scholarship to young journalism graduates and since 2011 has awarded the annual $15,000 Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary to support a research and reporting trip by an early career Canadian journalist who has recently graduated from one of Canada’s journalism programs.

In June of 2020, the Sinclair Foundation marked Don’s 90^th birthday with a special tribute.

As the news director at CFRB for many years, Don had the challenge of managing the outspoken Sinclair.

“There was nobody like him—the crackling energy, the curiosity, the little barbs and observations on life,” Don recalled at the time of Sinclair’s death.

Don’s niece, Mary Pickett, got in touch with the Foundation at the time to say that she wanted to recognize her uncle’s milestone birthday by making a donation to the Gordon Sinclair Foundation, to help support young journalists.

She recalled fond memories of many visits with her Uncle Don and Aunt Helen – at their home, at their condo in Cancun, at their cottage up north, at the Shaw Festival, at family reunions in Ontario and in the States. She remembered Don as a great cook and also noted the deep affection and care he showed for his wife of more than 60 years, who was herself in declining health. Don’s knowledge of current events, history, sports, music, travel, and so many other subjects has meant hours of interesting conversation and made him a brilliant Trivial Pursuit player.

A kind and gentle soul, Don also loved to play the piano, a hobby he kept up right through to his last days, playing the piano almost every day, despite ill health and advancing dementia.

Don Johnston is survived by his wife Helen and was predeceased by their son David.

A celebration of life for Don Johnston will be held at Smith’s Funeral Home, 1167 Guelph Line, Burlington Ontario L7P 2S7, on March 12 at 1 p.m. Visitation with the family will begin at noon.

Annie Burns-Pieper, 2017 Roving Reporter Bursary winner, to report from Madagascar

TORONTO (June 12, 2017) – Journalist Annie Burns-Pieper will use the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary to travel to Madagascar to report on US President Donald Trump’s reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule – which bans foreign aid to groups that perform or promote abortion – and how it has impacted global health programs, specifically family planning and women’s health services.

The Gordon Sinclair Foundation awarded the bursary today at its annual meeting, in Toronto. Burns-Pieper, a 31-year-old investigative reporter who has worked as a producer with CBC’s Investigative Unit, CTV’s W5 and Global 16×9, plans to use the $15,000 bursary to examine how the loss of USAID funding has impacted women, their families as well as aid organizations in Madagascar. The Canadian government has pledged $20 million to sexual health and family planning initiatives to try to offset the loss of USAID funding. Burns-Pieper will follow Marie Stopes International and other groups which have recently lost funding as a result of the Mexico City Policy, or Global Gag Rule.

“The reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule has brought Canadian attention to the issue of reproductive health aid,” said Burns-Pieper. It’s estimated that from 2017-2020 USAID funded programs in Madagascar would have prevented more than one million unintended pregnancies, and averted almost 340,000 abortions and more than 2,200 maternal deaths.

The Roving Reporter Bursary was created in memory of Gordon Sinclair, who made his name gallivanting around the world for the Toronto Star in the 1930s. The bursary replaces a university scholarship for journalism students that has been given out annually since 1986 by the Gordon Sinclair Foundation, established by friends of the remarkable journalist, author, radio commentator and television personality who until his death in 1984, was one of Canada’s most enduring celebrities. He earned that celebrity during a career that included periods with the Toronto Star, CFRB radio and as a panelist on CBC’s long-running news quiz program Front Page Challenge.

Burns-Pieper is a graduate of the Masters of Journalism program at Ryerson University, in Toronto. She also has an MSc in Global History from the London School of Economics and a BA from Dalhousie University.

Burns-Pieper has proven her ability to take the lead on stories of national interest as reporter and producer on Canada’s top investigative broadcast teams. In recent years she has led investigations into alleged mistreatment of pregnant women in Canadian delivery rooms, dangerous building materials used in schools and other public buildings and the Alberta wild horse cull. In 2015, she led a cross-platform investigation into inpatient suicide in Canadian hospitals for CTV W5.

At a time when most news organizations have cut back on travel, the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary is meant to support a major research and reporting trip by an early career Canadian journalist who has within the past five years graduated from one of Canada’s university-level journalism programs. The purpose of the $15,000 bursary is to encourage a young journalist to get off the beaten track and to spend a considerable period – a minimum of six weeks – away on a reporting assignment.

In recent years, bursary winners have used the award to document stories anywhere from the Middle East to Northern Canada. Burns-Pieper is a seasoned young reporter who also has experience living and working abroad. Prior to her studies in journalism she worked in both Guatemala and Morocco and has travelled extensively around Latin America and Asia.

Applicants to the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary were invited to submit a proposal to travel abroad or to a region of Canada that is not usually well covered by the media and to research and then prepare a substantial body of journalistic work on an important issue.

Two of Sinclair’s former employers – the Toronto Star and the CBC – are associated with the bursary and have undertaken to provide mentorship by senior editors to the bursary winner as he prepares for his reporting trip and then to consider the work for publication or broadcast.

2016 Roving Reporter Bursary winner will report on Syrian refugees in Lebanon

TORONTO (June 16, 2016) – Journalist Corbett Hancey will use the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary to travel to Lebanon to explore how the country is coping with the influx of refugees and the pressures of the Syrian civil war.

The Gordon Sinclair Foundation awarded the bursary today at its annual meeting, in Toronto. Hancey, who has worked for Vice Media and the CBC since completing his studies, plans to use the $15,000 bursary to examine such issues as the challenges faced by the health and education sectors in Lebanon because of the presence of millions of Syrian refugees.

“Lebanon’s small size and huge number of refugees means it’s arguably under more strain than any other refugee-hosting country,” Hancey said. “Canada made a specific commitment to help lessen that burden and stabilize the country. So for me this is a chance to look at the impact Canada can have in a country whose ability to help an extremely vulnerable group is stretched to the limit.”

“Without this bursary, a trip like this just wouldn’t be possible for someone in my position,” Hancey added. “The extended stay allows me to get a feel for the place and the stories in a way reporters who stay just a few days don’t get the opportunity to experience. For a young journalist, it’s the chance of a lifetime.”

Hancey is a graduate of the Bachelor of Journalism program at King’s College, in Halifax, the city where he grew up. He also has a BA from McGill and a Masters in Intelligence and International Security from the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London.

As a journalist, Hancey is just completing a one-year stint as a researcher for Vice Media. At Vice he researched and developed eight 30-minute episodes for a new TV documentary series called Cyberwar. He also worked for several years as a producer with CBC’s News Now.

At a time when most news organizations have cut back on travel, the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary is meant to support a major research and reporting trip by an early career Canadian journalist who has within the past five years graduated from one of Canada’s university-level journalism programs. The purpose of the $15,000 bursary is to encourage a young journalist to get off the beaten track and to spend a considerable period – a minimum of six weeks – away on a reporting assignment.

For the last few years, bursary winners have used the award to document stories in Canada. Hancey is the first recipient in some time to travel abroad. (And for that matter, Hancey is the first bursary winner to have been a contestant on the quiz show Jeopardy).

Gordon Sinclair Foundation meets June 16 to announce Bursary winner

The board of directors of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation meets in Toronto on Thursday, June 16 for the foundation’s annual general meeting and to announce this year’s winner of the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary.

sinclair pith helmet The Roving Reporter Bursary was created in memory of Gordon Sinclair, who made his name gallivanting around the world for the Toronto Star in the 1930s. The bursary replaces a university scholarship for journalism students that has been given out annually since 1986 by the Gordon Sinclair Foundation, established by friends of the remarkable journalist, author, radio commentator and television personality who until his death in 1984, was one of Canada’s most enduring celebrities. He earned that celebrity during a career that included periods with the Toronto Star, CFRB radio and as a panelist on CBC’s long- running news quiz program Front Page Challenge.

At a time when most news organizations have cut back on travel, the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary is meant to support a major research and reporting trip by an early career Canadian journalist who has within the past five years graduated from one of Canada’s university-level journalism programs. The purpose of the $15,000 bursary is to encourage a young journalist to get off the beaten track and to spend a considerable period – a minimum of six weeks – away on a reporting assignment.

Two of Sinclair’s former employers – the Toronto Star and the CBC – are associated with the bursary and have undertaken to provide mentorship by senior editors to the bursary winner as she prepares for her reporting trip and then to consider their work for publication or broadcast.

CBC-Radio’s Tapestry airs 23-minute documentary by Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter bursary winner

Another great piece of work by 2015 Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter bursary winner Jodie Martinson has been broadcast on the CBC-Radio program Tapestry.

jodie tapestry

Jodie used the bursary to follow singer Khari McClelland’s journey in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Detroit as he sought music that could help him understand more about the lives of escaped slaves, such as his own great-great-great grandmother Kizzy.

“In these challenging times for journalism, I can’t imagine how I would have been able to do this story without the support of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation,” Jodie said. “It has been such a positive experience for me to take six weeks in the field, and create a piece for a variety of platforms.”

Jodie’s remarkable work went to air just as the Gordon Sinclair Foundation launches the competition for the 2016 Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary. The $15,000 bursary was created in memory of Gordon Sinclair, who made his name gallivanting around the world for the Toronto Star in the 1930s. At a time when most news organizations have cut back on travel, the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary is meant to support a major research and reporting trip by an early career Canadian journalist who has within the past five years graduated from one of Canada’s university-level journalism programs. The purpose of the $15,000 bursary is to encourage a young journalist to get off the beaten track and to spend a considerable period – a minimum of six weeks – away on a reporting assignment.

You can find full details of the bursary competition at www.gordonsinclairfoundation.ca