Janice Landry

2020 Gold Medal in Non-Fiction:

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Janice Landry has won the gold medal in the category of Best Non-Fiction for her book Silver Linings. The gold medal was presented virtually on August 15, 2020 by respected Canadian book reviewer The Miramichi Reader.

The national award is part of The Very Best Book Awards, which offers prizes in multiple categories, including: Best Non-Fiction, Best Fiction, Best Historical Fiction, Best Short Fiction, Best Poetry, Best First Book, et cetera. According to its website, “Started in 2015, The Miramichi Reader strives to promote good Canadian books, poets and authors, as well as small-press publishers, coast to coast to coast.” The Miramichi Reader is owned by chief editor, James M. Fisher. 

In Silver Linings, Janice Landry explores the question, “What are you the most grateful for?” This passion project is the author’s 5th book, which she has dedicated to her late mother, Theresa Landry, and friend, Audrey J. Parker, who both died during its production. Silver Linings examines the relationship between using gratitude to build resiliency. The book contains 17 interviews, including many with Canadian emergency professionals. Landry is a long-time advocate for better support, training, and education surrounding the mental and health and wellness of our Canadian first responders and their families. 

Her late father, Capt. Basil (Baz) Landry, M.B., was a veteran Halifax firefighter who was awarded the Canadian Medal of Bravery, in 1980, for his part in the heroic rescue of an eight-week old infant from a horrific 1978 house fire.  

On receiving the gold medal award, Landry said, “I would like to thank The Miramichi Reader, its editor, James M. Fisher, and his team, The Very Best Book Awards, my wonderful publisher, Pottersfield Press, its owner, author Lesley Choyce, and team, as well as my supportive husband, daughter, friends, and peers. I am deeply grateful for this gold medal award. I humbly accept it, in memory of, and to honour my late parents.”

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2018 National Resiliency Award:

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Janice Landry was awarded the Canadian Resiliency Award, given by the former Tema Conter Memorial Trust, now The Tema Foundation. The non-profit is one of the largest supporters and educators of first responders, emergency personnel, members of the military, and their loved ones in Canada. The national honour was presented to the author at an awards dinner in Toronto on February 9, 2018.

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According to the 2018 Tema Trust Heroes Tribute Gala event programme: “The Rev. Ron Nickle Resiliency Award is presented to the individual who is able to share their story of resiliency which best contributes to our community’s understanding of the psychological stressors affecting Canada’s public safety and military personnel.”

 

Rev. Ron Nickle is the revered former Toronto Fire Services chaplain. As the daughter of a veteran Halifax firefighter, receiving this special honour from the retired fire chaplain has been a powerful and treasured experience for Janice – who dedicated her award to her late father, Capt. Baz Landry, M.B., and his HFD/HRFE peers.

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2017 National Media Award:

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Janice Landry was also awarded a national media award from the former Tema Conter Memorial Trust/The Tema Foundation. The award was presented to Landry at a gala in Halifax on May 24, 2017. A media release explains the nature of the award:

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“The Tema Conter Memorial Trust Media Award is presented to the individual or news organization that, during the previous year, has made the most significant contribution to our community’s understanding of the psychological stressors affecting Canada’s public safety personnel and military personnel.”

 

2017 Atlantic Canadian Award:

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Landry has also won the Atlantic Canadian competition for the 2017 Port Bickerton Lighthouse Artist-in-Residence. Her residency consisted of a two-week writing term during summer 2017 which was spent in the historic lightkeeper’s cottage in Port Bickerton, Nova Scotia.

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Here is part of the media release from the Port Bickerton and Area Planning Association`s Wilda Kaiser: "We were so pleased with the support from the both the arts and writers community in advertising this event, and the artists who applied from across Atlantic Canada. The professional packages and beautiful images submitted were a pleasure to review. This year’s selected artist in residence is writer Janice Landry of Halifax, Nova Scotia…The quality of work received from all artists was extraordinary."

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Janice is humbled to have been chosen from artists across Atlantic Canada.

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Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency:

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From 2015 to September 2019, Janice Landry worked as the chief writer/editor of Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency’s (HRFE) Feedline magazine. 

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The internal magazine-newsletter, which typically ran 100 pages, was produced by Landry three times annually. Paul Birmingham, who did the cover and design of Landry`s first book, From the Ground Up, and who is also Janice’s webmaster, also designed Feedline.

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Janice’s late father, Captain Basil (Baz) Landry, M.B., served for 31 years with the precursor of HRFE, the former Halifax Fire Department. Janice remains grateful for the opportunity to have also worked for the same fire service to which her late father was so deeply dedicated.

 

Mount Saint Vincent University:

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After winter term 2017, Landry made the decision to focus primarily on her true passion: journalism, writing, books and production work.

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She has since left university life, after completing nearly 16 years of part-time instruction in the Department of Communication Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University.  

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From 2001-2017, Landry was a part-time faculty member at MSVU. She developed and wrote her own curriculum and assignments, as well as facilitated learning and mentored students. Both her student and departmental/chairperson feedback was exceptionally strong the entire time she taught.

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Her work on campus was done while strictly adhering to university policies and guidelines, as well as departmental learning objectives and requirements.

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Landry was nominated for the Alumnae Award for Teaching Excellence, campus-wide, in 2010. She was the only part-time faculty member nominated by the departmental chairperson, for which she remains honoured and grateful.

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As part of her lengthy work, Landry volunteered and assisted at various non-profit events. She also attended personal development workshops and training sessions whenever possible, as part of her on-going commitment to life-long learning.

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Janice will always miss her students, who continue to be a source of pride and inspiration.

 

University of King's College:

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Landry graduated, with distinction, in honours journalism from the University of King's College, Halifax in 1987. A proud King's alumna, she has been a writer and journalist for 30 years, as of 2017. Janice stays in contact with her former professors, classmates and peers. She was honoured to attend the 30-year reunion of 1980's alumni in spring 2017.

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Radio and Television:

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CBC Nova Scotia

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Janice began her early journalism career in radio at CBC Halifax, in the mid 1980s. She wrote scripts for the hosts of Information Morning and Mainstreet. She also worked split-shifts as a traffic reporter while studying at King’s. Janice worked briefly as a contract researcher at CBC later in her career.

 

CTV Atlantic (formally ATV-ASN)

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In 1987, immediately after graduating from university, Janice was hired full-time at CTV-Atlantic. She remained there until 1999, when she resigned after the birth of her daughter. She discusses part of why she left in her 2017 book, The Legacy Letters.

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For 12 years, Janice held virtually every job, from an editorial standpoint, in the television new business, including, but not limited to: general assignment reporter, show producer and writer, weekend assignment editor and co-anchor, back-up weekday news anchor, senior reporter, live and taped event coverage.

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Janice specialized and did in-depth reporting about: crime, courts, homelessness and the sex trade in Nova Scotia and Canada. The impact of some of that work is discussed in The Legacy Letters.