The IJB is a real-world investigative unit that conducts collaborative research projects with academics and journalists while training student researchers and reporters in investigative techniques. It teaches investigative journalism by involving students as core journalists and contributors to major projects, working in partnership with academic researchers, major media organizations, and teaching programs across Canada, the United States, and globally. Throughout its five years, the IJB has generated breakthrough work in both journalism and education.
The IJB celebrates 5 years of impactful journalism
IJB Celebration 2025
IJB Director Robert Cribb
IJB Celebration 2025
IJB Research Interns Fatima Faruq (left) and Pavneet Kaur (right)
IJB co-founder Gerry Gotfrit
IJB Reporter Emma Jarratt
Postmedia Chief Content Officer Duncan Clark
Postmedia Chief Content Officer Duncan Clark
IJB Director Robert Cribb
Recent highlights
Awards
The Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) has been recognized in 11 prestigious journalism awards in Canada and the United States for work published in print, podcasting and documentary film in 2024.
Left to right: Reporters Masih Khalatbari, Robert Cribb, and Wendy-Ann Clarke
The IJB’s reporting on Mind Games – Healing or Harming Generational Wounds in collaboration with TVO and The Toronto Star won a Mindset award for Reporting on Workplace Mental Health, recognizing excellence in mental health reporting in Canada.
The IJB was also nominated for Privileged and Confidential, an investigation by Robert Cribb and Emma Jarratt published by the IJB and The Toronto Star in February 2024.
Signal Award
The IJB was also recognized with a prestigious Signal Award in October 2024 for the Ultimate Choice podcast, produced in partnership with TVO. The series explores the complex and evolving landscape of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).
RNAO Media Awards
The Ultimate Choice, a six-part podcast exploring Canada’s emergence as a global leader in medically assisted deaths, won best podcast series at the annual Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) media awards.
Canadian Journalism Foundation Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism
The IJB is proud to announce that its reporting on Lead in Drinking Water was shortlisted for The CJFJackman Award for Excellence in Journalism. The IJB was nominated in the small media category for its investigation into toxic lead in the water in Ontario schools and daycares. This investigation by Rob Cribb, Declan Keogh, Norma Hilton, Scott Martin and Rhythm Sachedeva includes a public database containing four years of findings, allowing the public to access lead results at any school, daycare or childcare centre across the province.
New York Festivals Radio Awards
The Ultimate Choice, the IJB’s podcast series on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in partnership with TVO, has been shortlisted for a New York Festivals (NYF) Radio Award in the Health/Medical podcast category.
Yorkton Film Festival
Bodies for Rent, a documentary that takes us inside the hidden world of clinical trials, has been nominated for a Golden Sheaf Award in the Social/Political Documentary category at the 2025 Yorkton Film Festival.
Canadian Journalism Foundation Gala 2025, Left to right: Charlie Buckley, Declan Keogh, Wendy-Ann Clarke, Robert Cribb, Blair Bigham, Masih Khalatbari
Canadian Journalism Foundation Gala 2025, Left to right: Wendy-Ann Clarke, Masih Khalatbari, Charlie Buckey
Canadian Journalism Foundation Gala 2025, Declan Keogh (left) and Blair Bigham (right)
IJB Founder and Director Robert Cribb speaks at the National Newspaper Awards ceremony 2025
IJB Founder and Director Robert Cribb speaks at the 2025 Canadian Association of Journalists award ceremony in Calgary, AB
IJB Founder and Director Robert Cribb at the 2025 Canadian Association of Journalists award ceremony in Calgary, AB
The IJB announces collaboration with Postmedia
The IJB gathers outside of the Postmedia sign
As the IJB enters into a new partnership with Postmedia, the newsroom’s work is already starting to appear in the country’s largest distribution network with more than 40 newspapers across Canada.
“We can touch a lot of hearts, a lot of people, and make a lot of change”
Photos of dogs in cages staff say were taken at Lawson Research Institute on the sixth floor of St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ont. The dogs brought in from U.S. breeders are as young as 10 months and as old as two years.
We have made a significant mark in the podcasting world through our groundbreaking series, Arachnid: Hunting the Web’s Darkest Secrets, produced in partnership with TVO Today, PizGloria Productions, and The Toronto Star.
Arachnid: Hunting the Web’s Darkest Secrets podcast
Arachnid: Hunting the Web’s Darkest Secrets is a six-part series that brings listeners into the internet’s seedy underbelly through the powerful voices of survivors, police, motivated child advocates and technology luminaries trying to stop the spread of illegal imagery across the world’s biggest social media platforms and protect kids.
Tens of millions of images of child sexual abuse material appear on global online platforms every day. They generate a massive audience. They make money. And the volume of material is constantly growing.
IJB director Rob Cribb hosts the podcast series. IJB reporter Wendy-Ann Clarke was lead researcher.
We also partnered with TVO for the series, The Ultimate Choice produced in partnership with TVO Today and the Toronto Star.
Based on our in-depth reporting on medically assisted death (MAID), this powerful docuseries follows the intimate journey of Michael and his wife, Ann, as they navigate Michael’s decision to pursue MAID due to an incurable illness. Hosted by IJB founder and director Rob Cribb, the podcast not only tells Michael’s story but also challenges Cribb to confront his own family history as he grapples with the emotional and ethical complexities of MAID.
The IJB captured the hearts and minds of its audience with the release of award-nominated documentary Bodies for Rent, directed by Habiba Nosheen.
The documentary follows the experiences of two professional clinical trial subjects who make their living volunteering to consume experimental drugs in exchange for money. Economic challenges have pushed them into this line of work, where they’ve faced significant medical risks.
In April 2025, the IJB launched Insights, an ongoing series of guest opinion pieces that build on our investigative journalism.
In September 2024, the IJB hosted a cross-border investigative conference with the IRE.
“To see this event come to life is a testament to the strength of the community that surrounds our newsroom. The dedication and passion of so many who believe in public interest journalistic excellence, have kept us alive. Every day, our small team engages in conversations about how to sustain this mission. Despite the challenges we face, the conference showed us that there is a tremendous amount of hope for the future.”
Robert Cribb, IJB Director
Fulfilling our mission to help develop the next generation of investigative journalists, we continue training early-career journalists.
We’ve had nine interns join us over the past year. Two of them joined us as Unifor summer interns from April to September. These internships, at $13,000, are among the highest paid in the country. Together, we’re building a legacy and quickly becoming a top-choice destination for the best young journalists in the country
In addition to these organizational updates, the IJB continues to publish high-quality investigative journalism that is influencing policy, inspiring debate and informing the public.View our published projects here.
