The Times Colonist in Victoria, B.C. is the recipient of the 2011 Michener Award for a series exposing a policy put forth by the B.C. government, which reduced funding for people with development disabilities. The story eventually caused the province to commit to $40 million to improve services, announce policy changes and demote the minister of social development.

The Times Colonist in Victoria, B.C. is the recipient of the 2011 Michener Award for a series exposing a policy put forth by the B.C. government, which reduced funding for people with development disabilities. The story eventually caused the province to commit to $40 million to improve services, announce policy changes and demote the minister of social development. The award is given out once a year to journalism organizations that make a significant impact on the public good and achieve identifiable results.

Gov. Gen. David Johnston presented the Times Colonist’s columnist Les Leyne with the award at a ceremony at Rideu Hall in Ottawa. The Times Colonist was one of six news organizations who received recognition last night.

The Governor General also presented two Michener-Deacon Fellowships. Melanie Coulson, a senior online editor at the Ottawa Citizen, was awarded the first Michener-Deacon Fellowship for Journalism Education. She will conduct research into the growing phenomenon of audience participation in the journalism produced by media enterprises.  Freelance writer Laura Eggertson was awarded the 2012 Michener-Deacon Fellowship for Investigative Journalism. She will conduct research into Aboriginal youth and suicide.

Michener citations of merit were presented to the CBC, The Globe and Mail, La Presse, the Toronto Star and The Windsor Star.

For more information about the awards and the winners, visit the Michener Awards website.