Toronto priest wins top literary prize for book on the homelessness crisis - BERITAJA

An Anglican leader has won a apical literate prize for her book about Canada’s homelessness crisis.

Maggie Helwig received the $40,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing astatine a ceremonial successful Ottawa connected Wednesday night.

She took location the grant for “Encampment: Resistance, Grace, and an Unhoused Community.”

The book follows Helwig’s conflict to let an encampment to stay successful the gait beside the Anglican religion successful Toronto’s Kensington Market wherever she is the priest.

Helwig had to spell up against various authorities who wanted to clear the churchyard, and the metropolis yet tore the encampment down successful October, 5 months aft the book was published.

The judges telephone “Encampment” “a clear-eyed telephone to not look away, but to deepen knowing of the issue” of homelessness.

The book besides won the 2025 Toronto Book Award.