RITA CELLI
In 2014, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, presented Rita with the Michener Deacon Fellowship for Investigative Reporting. Awarded annually to one Canadian journalist, Rita uncovered how little multinationals paid in taxes and royalties. She created an original strategy to analyze information in public documents. Her investigation received global attention and prompted the first-ever analysis by Ontario’s Auditor General.
My goal with the Michener-Deacon investigation was to test the bold assertions made by government and industry when it comes to the value of mining. Coherent, unbiased, fact-based answers are hard to come by. In the investigation, I tested the arguments with original, independent analysis. I went as far as I could go in the time I had. What are mining jobs really worth? Do mining companies pay their fair share of taxes? Where does the philosophical debate about royalties exist? Are royalties just another tax, or are royalties a meaningful attempt to compensate for the loss of a non-renewable natural resource? If the Ontario and federal governments indeed commit up to two billion dollars to open up the Ring of Fire in Ontario, is it time for a 21st century model of mining? In this report, I’ll bring you behind the scenes.
