We’re proud to announce that Tori Marlan’s story, The man who stole a hotel, has been honoured with a coveted National Newspaper Award for Best Long Feature. The story, about a years-long fight by an international fugitive to fraudulently wrest control of a hotel from its owners, was one of the only stories from outlets outside of the major national newspaper chains to bring home an award on Friday, May 6.

‍

“I’m truly honoured by this recognition, which I consider a win for everyone at Capital Daily,” Marlan said. “We are fortunate to have found a professional home at an outlet that values deep dives into complex stories. I would especially like to thank my editor, Jimmy Thomson, for the perfect headline and incisive edits.”

‍

The story is no stranger to awards and recognition; it has also won two Gold Canadian Online Publishing Awards (including one for Best Content, the “Grand Prix” of those awards) and has been nominated for a Canadian Association of Journalists award in the Community Written category. We’ll find out about that one at the end of May. The story also made Longform’s Best of 2021 list.

‍

“I’m so proud to have worked with Tori on this fantastic investigation,” said managing editor Jimmy Thomson. “The depth of reporting in this story is just the absolute pinnacle of what we’re trying to accomplish here at Capital Daily. I’m going to keep pointing to this story for years to come to show off how impactful, in-depth, and fascinating local journalism can be when it’s taken seriously.”

‍

For these latest honours to come at this moment is great timing: thanks to the support of Capital Daily members and donors, we recently won a lawsuit against Tim Durkin, who was at the centre of the story, defending the reporting against his claim of defamation. The judge presiding over the case called it “a high quality piece of long-form journalism.” If these awards are any indication, the judge is not alone in his assessment.