Nominate a Canadian who has courageously spoken out to protect the public interest

The Centre for Free Expression has issued a final public call for nominations for the Peter Bryce Prize which honours individuals who serve the greater good by courageously speaking up about wrongdoing and abuses of public trust.

Nominations are due by Friday, January 14, 2022. The nomination form is available here.

The Prize, named after Dr. Peter H. Bryce, the federal government physician who, in the early 1900s,  exposed the terrible sanitation and health practices and the appalling mortality rates.in Canada’s residential schools. 

This year’s Peter Bryce Prize recipient will receive an award of $5,000 made possible by the generosity of the Zita and Mark Bernstein Family Foundation.

Established by Ryerson University’s Centre for Free Expression in 2021, the inaugural Peter Bryce Prize was awarded to Alberta physician John O'connor. He reported, starting in 2006, the unexpected number of cancers and other health problems among the residents of the remote northern Alberta community of Fort Chipewyan. His reports were rebuffed by authorities and led to an ongoing fifteen-year struggle for the health rights of this largely Indigenous community and others downstream from the Alberta oil sands.

The Centre for Free Expression in the Creative School at Ryerson University is a leader in Canada advocating for better whistleblower protection and assisting those who speak up in the public interest. More information about the Centre and its work is available at cfe.ryerson.ca.