Books on troubling hockey culture, forest fires vie for Balsillie Prize for Public Policy
Books tackling controversial hockey culture, forest fires, and the growth of major tech platforms are among the five contenders for the Writers' Trust Balsillie Prize for Public Policy. The annual $70,000 award acknowledges non-fiction works that spur policy discussions on social, political, economic, and cultural issues. The finalists include Rick Westhead, a Toronto sports correspondent, for "We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada’s Troubled Hockey Culture," which examines the sport's struggles with allegations of sexual assault, hazing, and abuse.
Tech policy specialist Tim Wu is nominated for "The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity," delving into how tech giants maintain dominance and their role in income inequality. Jesse Winter, a Vancouver writer and photographer, is in contention for "Wild Fire: Dispatches from a Country Ablaze," which explores the critical issue of forest fires in Canada.
Other nominees are Dennis Molinaro, a national security expert, for "Under Assault: Interference and Espionage in China’s Secret War Against Canada," detailing Beijing's five-decade-long attempts to influence Canadian politics, and Moira Welsh, a Toronto Star reporter, for "The Astonishing Lives of Older Women: How to Create Pleasure Over Peril in Peak Longevity," which investigates the experiences of older women today.
A panel of three jurors chose the five books from 36 submissions by 24 publishers. The winner will be revealed on November 24 in Toronto.
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