TORONTO, April 22, 2008 — This year's National Business Book Award winner is William Marsden for his book Stupid to the Last Drop: How Alberta is Bringing Environmental Armageddon to Canada (and doesn't seem to care) published by Knopf Canada. The announcement was made this afternoon at an award luncheon in Toronto.
In his book, Marsden argues that Alberta is sacrificing a sustainable future for short-lived prosperity from the oil and gas industry. He claims the government is ignoring the environmental devastation caused by 300,000 oil and gas wells dotting the province's landscape. A tour of the oil sands provides a first-hand account of workers driving the boom of the 24/7 industry.
Marsden interviews experts who predict the industry's impact will sap Alberta's water supply, destroy rangeland, wipe out forests and wildlife, and increase greenhouse gas emissions. Marsden paints a bleak picture of a province causing its own destruction.
In its 23rd year, the National Business Book Award is considered one of Canada's most prestigious and respected literary awards. Co-sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and BMO Financial Group, the National Business Book Award honours the author of an outstanding Canadian business-related book with a $20,000 prize.
The Honourable William G. Davis, former Ontario premier and jury chair, spoke on behalf of the five-member jury that selected this year's winner as he congratulated Marsden and his publisher, Knopf Canada, on the in-depth look into the industry driving the country's richest province.
In addition to The Honourable William G. Davis, this year's jury included: Jane Cooney, President, Books for Business; William Dimma, Chairman, Home Capital Group Inc.; Anne Kingston, journalist and winner of the 1994 National Business Book Award; and Peter Mansbridge, Chief Correspondent, CBC Television Network.
The Honourable William Davis announced that he will be stepping down as Chairman of the jury after many years of service. The new Chairman of the jury is Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School of Management. He holds the Premier's Chair in Competitiveness and Productivity and is Director of the AIC Institute for Corporate Citizenship. Also joining the jury will be Pamela Wallin who is an award-winning journalist and diplomat. She is Senior Advisor to the President of the Americas/Society Council of the Americas in New York. She recently became an Officer of the Order of Canada and was appointed to the Independent Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan by Prime Minister Harper.
About William Marsden
William Marsden is co-author of the international bestsellers Angels of Death and The Road to Hell. He is an award-winning senior investigative reporter for the Gazette in Montreal.
Finalists for 2007 National Business Book Award:
- Rodrigo Bascuñán and Christian Pearce (Toronto) for Enter the Babylon System: Unpacking Gun Culture from Samuel Colt to 50 Cent, published by Random House Canada.
- Naomi Klein (Toronto) for The Shock Doctrine: the Rise of Disaster Capitalism, published by Knopf Canada.
- Jacques Poitras (Fredericton) for Beaverbrook: A Shattered Legacy, published by Goose Lane Editions.
- Chris Turner (Calgary) for The Geography of Hope: A Tour of the World We Need, published by Random House Canada.
The National Business Book Award winner for 2006 was Thomas Homer-Dixon for The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization.
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