CTV Ottawa wins two regional RTDNA awards for coverage of Orleans explosion, Barrhaven tornado

CTV News Ottawa and Newstalk 580 CFRA have won three prestigious journalism awards for coverage of major news stories in 2023.

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The Radio Television Digital News Association Canada announced the winners of its regional awards at a gala in Toronto on Tuesday night. RTDNA Canada honours the best journalists, programs, platforms, stations and news gathering organizations in audio, digital and video.

CTV News Ottawa won the Breaking News Large Market award for the central region in the video category for its coverage of the Orléans explosion in February 2023.

The explosion on Feb. 13, 2023 destroyed several homes under construction on Blossom Pass Terrace in Orléans. Homes within several hundred metres were evacuated and many nearby were damaged. Twelve people were injured, including children. Two people were pulled from the rubble at the scene. CTV News Ottawa reported live from the scene as police and firefighters began their investigation.

Kody Troy Crosby, 35, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to charges of breaking and entering a dwelling under construction and intentionally causing damage by explosion. The judge sentenced Crosby to five years in prison.

Some of the debris following an explosion at an east Ottawa construction site on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. (Ottawa Fire Services)

CTV News Ottawa also won the TV Newscast Large Market award in the video category for its coverage of the Barrhaven tornadoes in July 2023.

Two tornadoes touched down in the south Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023, with more than 100 homes being damaged. One minor injury was also reported. Researchers say based on the damage scale, both tornadoes had maximum wind speeds of 155 km/h, which falls in the EF1 category.

Debris fills the street following a tornado in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on Thursday, July 13, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Newstalk 580 CFRA's The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll won the Opinion award for commentary on Paul Bernardo's prison transfer in the audio category.

The prison transfer of notorious serial rapist and convicted killer Paul Bernardo from a maximum-security prison to a medium-security facility in the summer of 2023 solicited shock and outrage from political leaders and the families of those he killed.

Critics including Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urged people to implore Trudeau and then-public safety minister Marco Mendicino to reverse the decision -- something the government said it could not do because the Correctional Service of Canada is an independent agency.

A report by the Correctional Service of Canada later found the decision to relocate Bernardo was "sound" and followed all applicable laws and policies.

Bernardo is serving a life sentence for the kidnapping, torture and murders of 15-year-old Kristen French in 1991 and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy in 1992.