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![\"Mikaela](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/812453_web1_29545990_200527-PERSPECTIVES---NIIGAAN-00063.JPG\")
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Mikaela MacKenzie \/ Free Press files<\/p>\n
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Free Press columnist, Niigaan Sinclair, was awarded the Mary Ann Shadd Award for columns at the National Newspaper Awards Friday night in Toronto..<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Three of Sinclair\u2019s columns were submitted to judges for consideration. One concerned the death of Pope Francis<\/a> and his complicated relationship with Canada\u2019s Indigenous people.<\/p>\n A second column centred on bestselling author Thomas King\u2019s announcement he was not a Native American<\/a>.<\/p>\n The final one dealt with candid comments by Manitoba\u2019s premier on child pornography legislation<\/a> when Wab Kinew said: \u201cNot only should (you) go to prison for a long time, they should bury you under the prison.\u201d<\/p>\n Sinclair has written about Indigenous issues for the Free Press since 2018. He first won the award that year and has been a finalist four times.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m delighted the judges recognized Niigaan as the country\u2019s top columnist,\u201d said Free Press editor Paul Samyn. \u201cNiigaan\u2019s perspective and voice is truly a gift we are thrilled to share with our readers.\u201d<\/p>\n Of his writing, the judges wrote: \u201cSinclair asks questions that stay with the reader and invite reflection long after reading his column.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t The Globe and Mail led all organizations with eight wins, followed by The Canadian Press with four and the Toronto Star and La Presse with three each.<\/p>\n The Globe\u2019s Carrie Tait was named journalist of the year for her coverage of the politics of Alberta health care. She also won the award for investigative journalism and the John Wesley Dafoe Award for politics.<\/p>\n Project of the year went to The Canadian Press for its extensive reporting on the Ring of Fire in Northern Ontario, which highlighted the landscape, people and politics at play.<\/p>\n The Free Press was a finalist in four other categories.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud of the recognition given to our other finalists for their outstanding journalism that is essential to the service the Free Press delivers every day,\u201d said Samyn.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The Free Press was nominated for an NNA for breaking news for coverage of a mass stabbing on Hollow Water First Nation.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n That included a nomination for breaking news for coverage of the mass stabbing at Hollow Water First Nation<\/a> in September 2025, with reporting from Scott Billeck<\/a>, Nicole Buffie<\/a>, Chris Kitching<\/a>, and Carol Sanders<\/a>, a column by Niigaan Sinclair<\/a>, and photography by Mikaela MacKenzie and Mike Deal.<\/p>\n Arts and life reporter Ben Waldman was nominated for his in-depth feature story on Richard Comely\u2019s Captain Canuck comic<\/a>, created in Winnipeg 50 years ago and as relevant as ever amid trade tensions with the United States.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Free Press reporter Ben Waldman was nominated for his feature on Richard Comely (pictured) the creator of Captain Canuck comics.<\/p>\n Investigative reporter Marsha McLeod was nominated for two NNAs \u2014 in the exploratory category for a piece explaining the origins of the second-generation cut-off in Canada\u2019s Indian Act<\/a>, its impact on Indigenous families and possible alternatives; and in the long feature category for a story on the RCMP\u2019s fatal shooting of Conor Rae<\/a> and the subsequent investigation by the province\u2019s police watchdog.<\/p>\n Ninety-nine journalists were nominated across the country, representing 27 newspapers.<\/p>\n Print reporters will join colleagues in radio, television and online journalism in June at the Canadian Association of Journalists awards. Free Press reporters Julia-Simone Rutgers and Malak Abas are nominated in the data journalism category for their analysis of major route changes for Winnipeg bus riders. The CAJ winners will be announced at Carleton University\u2019s School of Journalism and Communications on June 13.<\/p>\n Fpcity@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Niigaan Sinclair is the top columnist in the country. The Free Press Indigenous issues writer was named Canada\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627263,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194296],"tags":[49,48,22073],"class_list":["post-627262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-winnipeg","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-winnipeg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tETHAN CAIRNS \/ FREE PRESS <\/p>\n