André Picard (journalist)

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André Picard
CM
Born
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Alma materUniversity of Ottawa
OccupationJournalist
Years active1983–present
EmployerThe Globe and Mail
Known forReporting on Contaminated blood scandal in Canada
Notable work
  • The Gift of Death - Confronting Canada's Tainted Blood Tragedy
  • Matters of Life and Death - Public Health Issues in Canada
TitleQuebec Bureau Chief
AwardsMichener Award, National Newspaper Award, Hyman Solomon Award
Websitewww.andrepicard.com

André Pierre Picard CM is a Canadian journalist and author specializing in health care issues. He works as a reporter and a columnist for the national newspaper The Globe and Mail. As of 2020, he runs the news organization's office in Montreal. He currently lives in Vancouver.[1]

Biography[edit]

A Franco-Ontarian, Picard was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and grew up in North Bay. He attended the École secondaire catholique Algonquin, a French-language Catholic high school.[2][3][4]

Picard attended the University of Ottawa and completed a B.Adm in 1986, but Picard credits his extracurricular activities with having a greater influence on his career. Compelled by a friend to write a music column for the Fulcrum, a student newspaper, he ended up managing the Arts section, before being chosen as editor-in-chief in 1983. His work at the Fulcrum gave him a taste of the impact journalism can have on the community and, ultimately, on public policy.[5] Later, he got a degree in journalism from Carleton University, but credits his years at the student newspaper as his most valuable formative experience.[4]

During his time at the Fulcrum, he met the woman he would later marry, Michelle Lalonde. Their wedding took place on the University of Ottawa campus.[5][4] They have two children and have lived in Montreal since 1989, where Lalonde writes for The Gazette.[6][4][7]

Career in journalism[edit]

Picard briefly worked for the Canadian University Press, a news service that provided content for student newspapers.[5] The Globe and Mail hired him in 1987 for its business section. When major news outlets started covering the AIDS epidemic, the Globe transferred him to the general news section and assigned that story to him, since he had already written about AIDS for the Globe as a summer intern.[5][8] Picard's stories often explored the human side of the issue and went beyond the stereotype of the AIDS victims.[3] He joined other journalists covering health issues differently, enabling a conversation between health professionals, patients and the public.[9]

Health care officially became Picard's beat at the Globe and Mail in 1990. His stories on contaminated blood scandals, with an emphasis on the victims' compensation, contributed to the establishment of a commission of inquiry and ultimately, to regulation changes. He received the Michener Award in 1993, the same year the commission began its work.[3][10] His first book, The Gift of Death: Confronting Canada’s Tainted Blood Tragedy, was published in 1995 and became a best-seller.[7][10]

He was one of the first journalists to report on SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 and continued to follow it as the pandemic developed. He was recruited by the Trudeau Foundation to participate in a committee formed to engage and educate the public on the implications of the pandemic.[6]

His book Neglected No More: The Urgent Need to Improve the Lives of Canada's Elders in the Wake of a Pandemic was a nominee for the 2021 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy.[11]

Books[edit]

  • Picard, André (1995). The Gift of Death: Confronting Canada's Tainted Blood Tragedy. Harper Collins Canada. ISBN 978-0-00255-415-2.
  • Picard, André (1997). A Call to Alms: The New Face of Charity in Canada. Atkinson Charitable Foundation.
  • Picard, André (2020). Critical Care: Canadian nurses speak for change. Harper Collins Canada. ISBN 978-0-00255-726-9.
  • Picard, André (2013). The Path to Health Care Reform: Policy and Politics. Conference Board of Canada.
  • Picard, André (2017). Matters of Life and Death: Public Health Issues in Canada. Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 978-1-77162-154-0.

Selected awards[edit]

He received honorary doctorates from six institutions[6]: University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the University of Manitoba,[10] Laurentian University, Carleton University,[17] the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Order of Canada appointees – December 2023". Governor General of Canada. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Four named to North Bay Walk of Fame". Bay Today. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "André Picard, LL.D., May 14, 2015". Université du Manitoba. 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Gritzan, Elena (Spring 2016). "Healthy Skeptic". Ryerson Review of Journalism.
  5. ^ a b c d Mike Foster. "Power of the press". Université d'Ottawa. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "André Picard Mentor 2018". Fondation Trudeau. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  7. ^ a b Block, Irwin (10 November 2013). "Health-care focus should switch to prevention: André Picard". Senior Times. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  8. ^ Sorensen, Chris (6 June 2020). "#UofTGrad17: Three things you should know about honorary grad André Picard". University of Toronto. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  9. ^ Katie O'Connor (15 August 2017). "Reflections on public health issues in Canada" (Page web et vidéo). TFO. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d "Agents de changement en soins de santé : l'AMC présente les personnes lauréates des prix de l'AMC de 2020". Association médicale canadienne. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  11. ^ Vicky Qiao, "Toronto scholar Dan Breznitz wins inaugural $60K Balsillie Prize for best Canadian public policy book". CBC Books, November 24, 2021.
  12. ^ "The Atkinson". Atkinson Foundation. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Winners since 1949". National Newspaper Awards. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  14. ^ "André Picard". Société canadienne du sang. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Globe and Mail's André Picard and CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta to receive CJF Tributes". Canadian Journalism Foundation. 8 February 2021. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  16. ^ "2021 Sandford Fleming Medal awarded to The Globe and Mail's health columnist André Picard". RCIScience. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  17. ^ "André Picard Receives Honorary Doctorate from Carleton University". Université Carleton. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  18. ^ "André Picard – Honorary Degree Ceremony". University of Toronto Office of the President. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
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