Star reporter Moira Welsh’s ‘The Astonishing Lives of Older Women’ among finalists for $70K Balsillie Prize - Toronto Star

The winner of the 2026 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy will be announced Nov. 24. 

Moira Welsh is the author of “The Astonishing Lives of Older Women.”

Toronto Star political reporter Moira Welsh is among the five finalists for the prestigious 2026 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy, awarded annually to a nonfiction book that advances and influences policy debates on a wide range of social, political, economic, or cultural topics relevant to Canadians.

The award comes with a $70,000 prize; runners-up receive $7,500.

Welsh was nominated for ”The Astonishing Lives of Older Women: How to Create Pleasure over Peril in Peak Longevity,” which examines what growing old looks like for women, including issues around finances, relationships, health, housing and loneliness.

The jury said the book explores both the “promise and peril” of growing older as a woman, highlighting the financial vulnerability faced by those who depend on Old Age Security and the Canada Pension Plan.

Welsh, who works at the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau, has co-authored investigations that won three National Newspaper Awards and a Michener Award for Public Service Journalism.

"Under Assault: Interference and Espionage in China's Secret War Against Canada," by Dennis Molinaro, who tackles foreign interference involving China. Molinaro is a former national security analyst and policy adviser for the federal government and an assistant professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Rick Westhead's "We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada's Troubles Hockey Culture," which examines sexual assault allegations and the hazing culture prevalent in Canadian hockey. Westhead is a journalist with TSN and two-time Canadian Sportswriter of the Year.

”Wild Fire: Dispatches from a Country Ablaze,” by former Toronto Star reporter and photojournalist Jesse Winter. Winter’s book takes readers to the front lines of Canadian wildfires and examines their causes and growing frequency whilst addressing preventive measures.

And ”The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity,” by Tim Wu, a professor at Columbia University, explores the rise of tech platforms and how they are a machine for collecting data, money and our attention. 

The winner of the 2026 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy will be announced Nov. 24. 

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Samm Mohibuddin is a staff reporter with the Toronto Star. He can be reached at smohibuddin@thestar.ca