Ross Alderson awarded 2023 Peter Bryce Prize

Ross Alderson, former director of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation's anti-money laundering office, was awarded 2023 Peter Bryce Prize.  

Awarded annually by the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, the Peter Bryce Prize honours individuals who serve the greater good by courageously speaking up about wrongdoing and abuses of public trust.

Alderson is the whistleblower behind the public inquiry examining how hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal cash flowed through casinos in British Columbia. In the face of continued inaction by the relevant authorities, Ross raised concerns to senior officials in the BC government, and ultimately went to the media with evidence of both criminal money laundering and government inaction.

“The consequences of Ross's actions reach far beyond the activities of one B.C. Casino. The identification of this new typology for money laundering has had global implications” said Sandy Boucher, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Free Expression Senior Fellow, in presenting the award to Alderson.

The Prize is named after Dr. Peter H. Bryce who, in 1907 as Medical Inspector for the federal Department of the Interior and of Indian Affairs, blew the whistle on the terrible sanitation and health practices and the appalling mortality rates in residential schools. The Government refused to publish his report.  Bryce continued to push for equality in healthcare for Indigenous people and for a major overhaul in the system of residential schooling, even after being forced out of his job. He subsequently published his findings entitled “The Story of a National Crime.”

Each recipient of the Peter Bryce Prize also receives a cheque for $10,000 thanks to the generosity of the Zita and Mark Bernstein Family Foundation.

The Centre for Free Expression is a leader in Canada advocating for better whistleblower protection and assisting those who speak up in the public interest. 

Nominations for next year's Peter Bryce Prize can be made until December 31, 2023, by completing the nomination form available here.