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Are Canada’s clinical trials in need of reform? Experts weigh in
A recent investigation by the IJB published in the Toronto Star found that private companies in Canada are recruiting thousands of often financially desperate test subjects each year to participate in clinical trials. The question remains – if we want to ensure safer studies for participants and improve critical research, what is the best way… Read more
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Behind the Reporting: Ontario First Nations sue feds over alleged deadly underfunding of fire protection services
There are moments in reporting stories that make your bones rattle, moments that stay with you. I was on a telephone interview with Alvin Fiddler, Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, getting his thoughts on the shocking number of fire deaths and injuries on First Nations – a problem he and other Indigenous leaders have… Read more
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Behind the Reporting: IJB Exposes Exploitative Cracks in the Clinical Trial Industry
I started working on this story as a 21-year-old IJB intern who knew nothing about clinical trials other than the ads I saw on the subway on my way to class. I’d be lying if I said I was never tempted by the cash offered for what seemed like an innocuous sacrifice of my body in the service… Read more
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Inside Canada’s ‘exploitative’ clinical trial industry, where study participants say they’re incentivized to lie — even about medications’ side effects
Seized with anxiety after days of painful cramps and bloody stool, Franco answered a call from the research company that had been dosing him with an experimental medication in exchange for money. A staffer told him their tests showed one of his organs was inflamed and that a doctor needed to examine him. “Is this… Read more
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Ontario First Nations sue the federal government over alleged deadly underfunding of fire protection on reserves
The federal government’s “discriminatory” underfunding of fire protection on First Nation reserves is responsible for Indigenous people perishing in blazes at dramatically higher rates than other Canadians, a lawsuit filed by two Ontario First Nations alleges. Oneida Nation of the Thames, near London, and Sandy Lake First Nation, 600 km northwest of Thunder Bay, allege… Read more
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Celebrating Our Collaborative Success at the IJB & IRE Cross-Border Conference
When I first pondered the idea of hosting an international investigative journalism conference in Toronto, I dismissed it as momentary mental instability. It was the fall of 2023, just three years into the launch of our small non-profit newsroom. We’d made a significant impact with our reporting—shaping policies, changing attitudes, and raising awareness on a… Read more
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Bodies for Rent, a documentary directed by Habiba Nosheen in collaboration with the IJB, is out now!
Bodies for Rent, a documentary directed by Habiba Nosheen in collaboration with the IJB, is available on demand on CBC Gem and Youtube via CBC Docs. Bodies for Rent takes us inside the hidden world of pharmaceutical drug testing. The documentary follows the experiences of two professional clinical trial subjects who make their living volunteering… Read more
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Lead-tainted drinking water at Ottawa-area public schools and daycares prompts parent concerns and action
When Dr. Nicole Shadbolt discovered the drinking water her son consumes at his Ottawa high school had tested positive for elevated levels of lead, she took action. The family physician immediately had the blood of her 13-year-old son Christopher tested after a recent IJB investigation revealed that his school’s drinking water contained lead levels exceeding… Read more
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IJB & University of Toronto Work Study Internship
The Investigative Journalism Bureau, in collaboration with the University of Toronto, is now accepting applications for a Work Study Internship for the Fall/Winter 2024-2025 semester. As a real world investigative newsroom, the IJB offers a dynamic and enriching environment for aspiring journalists to gain hands-on experience and contribute to meaningful projects, while earning academic credit.… Read more
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IJB & IRE present a collaborative, cross-border conference
Invest in your career and level up your investigative and data skills by joining IRE and IJB for two days of professional development training in Toronto at The Creative School/Toronto Metropolitan University, September 20-21, 2024. This workshop is co-sponsored by the Investigative Journalism Bureau and The Creative School at the Toronto Metropolitan University. This international event will not only… Read more
