We’re thrilled to share that The Local has been nominated for four awards from the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), which recognizes the best journalism across Canada. The four nods for our small newsroom match the nominations of far larger organizations, like the Toronto Star and CTV.

“It’s a tremendous honour to have The Local’s work recognized among the very best in Canadian journalism,” said Editor-in-Chief Tai Huynh. “Four CAJ nominations is a record number for us and I’m incredibly proud of our small but mighty newsroom, particularly Nicholas, Inori, and Wency, for their achievement.”

Here are the nominated stories:

After the International Student Gold Rush

By Nicholas Hune-Brown

Nominated for the Hugo Rodrigues Award for Community News

In the midst of heated debate about the immigration system last winter, Executive Editor Nicholas Hune-Brown spent time with a group of international students who had maintained a 24/7 encampment in protest next to a highway in Brampton, Ont. The story of these students in the suburbs of Toronto was one of the missing pieces in the national immigration policy discussion.

The Worm Hunters of Southern Ontario

By Inori Roy

Nominated for Community Written Feature

Associate Editor Inori Roy spent the night picking worms in a field in southern Ontario—a corner of the province that supplies nearly all the bait worms sold in North America. Her story is about worms and the people who pick them, the changing role of immigrant labour in the province, and the future of this industry in the face of the climate crisis.

School Board Coverage

By Wency Leung

Nominated for the Geoffrey Stevens Award for Local Government Reporting

In June of 2025, Ontario’s Ministry of Education began its unprecedented takeover of school boards across the province, including the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the largest school board in the country. The Local’s Wency Leung has been documenting this takeover ever since, even as the province has attempted to dismantle avenues for public scrutiny.

Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era

By Nicholas Hune-Brown

Nominated in Online Media

After receiving a suspicious pitch, The Local’s Nicholas Hune-Brown uncovered a freelance writer publishing fake stories in prominent publications around the world. The story of “Victoria Goldiee” hit a nerve at a moment when the media industry is struggling and AI makes it increasingly difficult to know what’s real and what isn’t.