Award-winning journalist Shirlee Engel has been covering news around the world as one of Global National‘s Ottawa correspondents since 2008.
Known for her hard-hitting investigative reporting and social media savvy, Shirlee’s work has been honoured by the Radio and Television News Directors Association. Her reporting and live Twitter updates from the courtroom during the sentencing hearing for disgraced Canadian Forces Col. Russell Williams won a Ron Laidlaw Award for Continuing Coverage for Global National.
Shirlee’s series exposing inequalities for veterans who develop ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease) also received honourable mention for the Dan McArthur Investigative Award. Her reports prompted the federal government to change the rules to allow soldiers with the disease to get benefits. Dozens of veterans and their families have since received the help they need. The ALS Society of Canada honoured her with the Tony Proudfoot Exceptional Public Awareness Award in 2010.
Known for her original, creative approach to stories and her live breaking news coverage, Shirlee has reported from some of the world’s hot spots – including Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, and Afghanistan as the Canadian combat mission was winding down. She has tackled politics at the municipal, provincial and federal levels and travelled coast to coast, covering the 2011 federal election campaign and the prime minister’s visit to the Arctic. Shirlee has also reported from international summits, including the G8 in Canada and Europe, the G20 in South Korea and APEC in Japan.
After a stint in the advertising world, Shirlee began her reporting career as a videographer for /A News in Windsor, Ontario. She also reported and filled in at the anchor desks at Global Toronto and CHCH News in Hamilton. She attended the journalism program at Ryerson University before graduating with honours in political science and economics from McGill University.
When she’s not chasing news, Shirlee enjoys music, spending time with friends and family, and staying active. With a passion for travel, she has visited over 25 countries and never passes up the chance to visit exotic new locations.
Follow Shirlee on Twitter: @ShirleeEngel
Follow Global National on Twitter: @GlobalNational
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