Rafe Mair, representing radio station CKNW, accepts the 1990 Michener Citation of Merit award from Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn.
The Vancouver radio station was given the award for a public affairs program series hosted by Rafe Mair which shed critical light on inequities in child care rules and regulations and the negative impact of provincial social service practices on families. Provisions designed to protect children in some cases seemed to be damaging families with hasty or ill-conceived foster home placements with no recourse to the alternative of family counselling. A few weeks into the broadcasts, the Social Services Minister announced a provincial investigation into five specific cases and preparation of a report on accountability in general.
The award was presented during a ceremony held at Rideau Hall on April 25, 1991.
The judging for the Michener Award goes beyond journalistic merit to consider what the project has accomplished, the absence of self-serving journalistic interest, and the resources available to entrants so that larger and smaller competitors are on a more equal basis.