OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The first recipients of the CRTC’s prize for academic research were honoured Monday at the annual conference of the Canadian Communication Association (CCA) in Calgary.
The CRTC Prize for Excellence in Policy Research was launched in June 2015 to encourage a new generation of researchers to contribute to Canada’s public policy development relating to information and communication. Ten papers were submitted from across the country in the award categories of Master’s, Doctoral and Post-doctoral. Papers were reviewed by a selection committee of three CCA executives and the CCA vice-chair, and a CRTC representative participated as an observer.
The winners are:
– Master’s category: Daniel Mackwood, from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information and Faculty of Law, for a paper highlighting the challenges within Canada’s telecommunications regulatory framework;
– PhD category: Daniela Mastocola, from the Faculty of Communication and Culture, at York University and Ryerson University, for a paper centering on the transition of York University’s campus radio station, which was formerly known as CHRY 105.5 FM, to VIBE 105. Her paper also addresses the principles of community accessibility;
– Post-doctorate category: Mary Elizabeth Luka, a Banting Post-doctoral Fellow at York University, for a paper focussed on rethinking the roots of Canada’s communication policy. Her work examines how artistic, civic and business sectors network in the digital age.
The winning papers will be published on the CRTC’s website and each recipient will be invited to present their papers to CRTC Commissioners and other federal policy-makers later this year.
“We are pleased to partner with the Canadian Communication Association to recognize researchers’ contributions to the information and communication policy field”, said CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais, in a statement. “Working with Canadian academics allows us to enhance our evidence-based decisions by analyzing trends and policy issues in the communication landscape. We are continuing to build bridges with academia, and hope this award will continue to foster meaningful dialogue between researchers and policy-makers.”
