Policing, MAID among issues on Writers’ Trust short list for $60K policy book prize

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This article was published 28/09/2022 (1093 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – Policing, medical assistance in dying and smart cities are among the contentious topics covered by the finalists for a $60,000 public policy book prize.

The Writers’ Trust of Canada announced the five titles Wednesday shortlisted for the Balsillie Prize for Public Policy, which recognizes the best non-fiction book shaping Canadian discourse about policy issues. The winner will be named on Nov. 29.

Contenders include “The Last Doctor: Lessons in Living from the Front Lines of Medical Assistance in Dying,” co-authored by Dr. Jean Marmoreo and Johanna Schneller, a first-hand account of end-of-life care, published by Viking Canada.

Also in the running are legal scholar Kent Roach’s “Canadian Policing: Why and How It Must Change,” published by Delve Books, and journalist John Lorinc’s “Dream States: Smart Cities, Technology, and the Pursuit of Urban Utopias,” from Coach House Books.

Kim Stanton, a lawyer and commissioner to the Mass Casualty Commission investigating the 2020 killing spree in Nova Scotia, is nominated for “Reconciling Truths: Reimagining Public Inquiries in Canada,” published by UBC Press.

Rounding out the short list is scientist and policy analyst Vaclav Smil’s “How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We’re Going,” published by Viking.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2022.