Toronto, ON - ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation recognized Sean Fine, editorial writer for The Globe and Mail, as the recipient of the 2005 Peter Gzowski Literacy Award of Merit (PGLAM) at an awards dinner at The Granite Club in Toronto.

Founded in 1993 by ABC CANADA in honour of the late veteran broadcaster and writer Peter Gzowski, a passionate champion for literacy, the award recognizes Canadian print, Web and broadcast journalists for outstanding achievements in enhancing public understanding, support for, and awareness of, the literacy cause through work made public in the previous calendar year.

“Mr. Fine is extremely deserving of this award,” says Christine Featherstone, President and CEO of ABC CANADA. “His is a fresh and vigorous voice, and his engaging editorials have been most powerful in alerting Canadians about the need for increased literacy levels.” Fine won for two editorials: one that decried the prevalence of poor reading scores in a number of Canadian provinces, as reported by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“Evaluating Canada’s high and low marks” [PDF, 269KB], The Globe and Mail, December 8, 2004); and another that deftly used a hockey metaphor to rally Canada to reach for the goal of ‘most literate nation.’ (“Here’s to a new goal: most literate nation” [PDF, 271KB], December 31). In that latter piece, he wrote: “On skates, a boy or girl, man or woman, can fly through space and conquer time, since time always seems irrelevant (if not stopped altogether) during a good hockey game. Hockey is a cold country’s means of escape.”
“Well, reading is the same. It is to the mind what hockey is to the body. The ordinary limits are forgotten. The reader moves through time and space as lightly as Guy Lafleur moved from one blue line to the next. Imagine a nation supreme in hockey and reading. The rest of the world would choke on its envy.”

Fine came out on top in a close race characterized by strong submissions. As one member of the judging panel said: “There was clearly a diversity of approaches, in both print and broadcast, and each year we see the work of journalists who are digging deeper and drawing those compelling connections between good literacy levels and good outcomes in our community.”

In accepting the award, Fine received a personalized plaque and ABC CANADA will donate, in his name, $1,000 to the Regent Park/Duke of York Public School in Toronto in support of its early-years book program.

Learning of his being the recipient this year, Fine said: “It’s a real honour to win an award in Peter Gzowski’s name. I know he was deeply involved in literacy, and I certainly followed his work - I grew up with him, in a way.”

To read Sean Fine’s award-winning editorials, please go to: www.abc-canada.org/pglam

Sean Fine with the 2005 Peter Gzowski Literacy Award of Merit

About Sean Fine: When Sylvia Stead, Deputy Editor of The Globe and Mail, nominated editorial writer Sean Fine for the 2005 Peter Gzowski Literacy Award of Merit, she said: “Sean brings a high level of passion and commitment to his work. He likes nothing better than to seize on an idea and to grab the reader by the lapels, as it were, and impress on them the urgency of acting on that idea.”

An avid reader who describes his home as “one big uncatalogued library,” Sean has an abiding interest in literacy, encouraged in no small way by his being a father of three (Ned, aged five, “a hockey star”; Claire, eight, “a soccer champ”; and Lexi, 11, “an accomplished pianist”). He and his wife, Barbara Hladyszuk, make certain there’s lots of reading and learning time with their children. “You want to make sure your kids are literate, especially with my son - it seems boys are having a particularly difficult time with reading, with our culture sending the wrong messages about reading ‘not being cool.’” Sean is currently writing a children’s novel, and he has taught journalism at Centennial College.

At The Globe and Mail since 1985, he has covered city hall, social policy, education, health and the justice beat, and his work has garnered recognition (winner, Canadian Policy Research Award, 2000 for a “Family Matters” series, and, this year, a second consecutive nomination for a National Newspaper Award for editorial writing).

About the Peter Gzowski Literacy Award of Merit: Journalists may submit their own work, or nominate the work of a fellow journalist. In the case of those nominating other people’s work, the entries must be submitted with the knowledge and consent of the journalist. Others who may nominate include an employer, a colleague, industry-related association representatives, an ABC CANADA Board or Committee member, regional literacy coalitions or networks, national literacy organizations or anyone employed in, or working with, the Canadian literacy field. The award is presented on merit and is not necessarily presented every year.

Past recipients are: Paul-Émile Cormier, 2004 (Journal l’Étoile, New Brunswick); Alan White, 2003 (Telegraph-Journal, New Brunswick); Joel Jacobson, 2002 (Halifax Herald); Denise Donlon, 1993 (MuchMusic); and Peter Calamai, 1996 (Toronto Star)

Submissions for 2006 must apply to work produced during 2005, and submissions must be made by April 29, 2006. For details and submission forms, go to: www.abc-canada.org/pglam