The 40^th annual journalism awards evening featured Elizabeth Palmer, recently retired Senior Foreign Correspondent, CBS News

VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 2, 2026 /CNW/ -- Winners of the 40^th annual, 2026 Webster Awards, Western Canada's preeminent journalism awards, were announced tonight during the gala awards evening. The awards recognize excellence in journalism in B.C. Winners are listed below and both winners' and finalists' information and work can be found on the Jack Webster Foundation website so one can read/listen to/watch their work here. 

2026 Webster Award Winners

Best News Reporting of the Year – TV/Video
Presented by Earnscliffe
- Regan Hasegawa, The Death of Chase De Balinhard, CTV Vancouver

Best News Reporting of the Year – Print/Digital
Presented by Kidsbooks
- Nathan VanderKlippe, Mike Hager, Andrea Woo, Justine Hunter, Jana Pruden, Tu Thanh Ha, Patrick White, Tumbler Ridge horror, The Globe and Mail

Commentator of the Year/City Mic Award
Presented in Memory of Linda Webster
- Crawford Kilian, The Tyee

Excellence in Community Reporting
Presented by the Al Roadburg Foundation
- Amy Romer, Reclaiming child welfare jurisdiction in B.C.'s Gitanmaax Band, IndigiNews

Photo of the Year
Presented by Sony Canada
- Paige Taylor White, 'Nature needs a rest': One of B.C.'s best-loved parks takes a vacation, The Narwhal

Excellence in Feature Reporting – Radio/Audio/Podcast
- Georgina Smyth, Joan Webber, Common Ground, CBC News

Excellence in Feature Reporting – Print/Digital
- Justine Hunter, A hike into history: The founding of Strathcona Park, The Globe and Mail

Excellence in Feature Reporting – TV/Video
- Jason Pires, Joan Marshall, Allan Coen, Luca Sgaetti, Lapu Lapu Day Tragedy, Global BC

Excellence in Legal Journalism
Presented by the Law Society of B.C.
- David Ebner, The Reality of Bail Reform, The Globe and Mail

Excellence in Arts and Culture Reporting
- Abby Francis, Dionne Phillips, Crystal Greene, Inside a growing movement to return Indigenous belongings, IndigiNews

Excellence in Multilingual Journalism
- Sarbraj Singh Kahlon, Allan Chek, Kristin Johnson, Sonia Kalra, Vancouver Builders' Extortion Fears Leads to Policy Change, OMNI Television (Punjabi)

Excellence in Health Reporting
Presented by London Drugs
- Jody Paterson, A Health Crisis in Plain Sight, The Victoria Times Colonist

Excellence in Innovative Journalism
- Justine Hunter, Jeremy Agius, The Perilous Waters of Hecate Strait, The Globe and Mail

Excellence in Business Reporting
Endowed by Jean Cormier
- Zak Vescera (IJF), Matt Simmons (Narwhal), Canada's spy agency now shares intel with corporations — thanks to a push from TC Energy, The Investigative Journalism Foundation & The Narwhal

Excellence in Environment Reporting
Presented by the Pacific Salmon Foundation
- Daniel J. Pierce, Trouble in the Headwaters: The Hidden Impacts of Clear-cut Logging in B.C., The Narwhal

Excellence in Investigative & Enterprise Journalism
Presented by the B.C. Crown Counsel Association
- Jason Proctor, Inside an extortion deportation case: The arsons, auto frauds and shootings linking crime across Canada, CBC.

This year's event also featured Elizabeth Palmer, who recently retired as Senior Foreign Correspondent, CBS News in April of this year and the evening was hosted by Dan Burritt, Host, CBC TV Vancouver News and Jason D'Souza, Host, All Points West, CBC Radio, Victoria. Three special Webster Awards were also presented and they were the 2026 Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to Tom Zytaruk, the 2026 Bill Good Award, presented to the Negar Mojtahedi, and the 2026 Shelley Fralic Award, presented to Anne Penman.

The 2026 winners and finalists were chosen by the Webster Awards jury, all members who are independent of the Jack Webster Foundation and its board. Submissions were encouraged from B.C. journalists whose work has been published/broadcast in print, radio/podcasts, television and in online media sources that cover news, sports, the arts, business, community issues, and more.

This year's Webster Awards were made possible by Presenting Sponsors: BCGEU, BCIT, Beedie, FortisBC, Global Container Terminals Inc., ICBC, Port of Vancouver, Resource Works, Uber, and West Coast Reduction. Supporting Sponsors: Angus Reid Group, Concord Pacific, KPU, Leap Creative, Ledcor, London Drugs, Playbook, RBC, Seaspan, Teck Resources, Unifor, and YVR. Webster Award partners are Oh Boy Productions, Glacier Media, Global BC and the Vancouver Sun and Province. Cision is the exclusive distribution partner of the Jack Webster Foundation.

The Jack Webster Foundation was established in 1986, upon the retirement of its namesake, who was Western Canada's best-known and most influential reporter, in order to foster and celebrate excellence in journalism, protect the public interest for British Columbian's, and create a community where trusted outstanding journalism thrives.

SOURCE Jack Webster Foundation