Hilary Beaumont is a freelance investigative journalist who has reported from the U.S., Canada and Mexico, covering climate change, Indigenous rights and immigration. Recently, she revealed how the fossil fuel industry helped spread anti-protest laws across the U.S., investigated the life and death of the first environmental activist killed by police in America, and obtained receipts that showed how a pipeline company paid police for arresting and surveilling protesters.
She completed her bachelor of journalism at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and attended the Banff Centre’s Investigative Journalism Intensive in Alberta. Her investigative reporting has earned national awards.
She got her start writing for Halifax alt-weekly The Coast, where she revealed that police failed to investigate a severe case of revenge porn, prompting a police apology and review of the case. She was a staff reporter at VICE News from 2015 to 2019, hosting documentaries, writing news stories and producing in-depth investigations. She uncovered sexual harassment in Canada’s Parliament, reported from the Standing Rock protests and investigated Canada’s inaction on the water crisis in Indigenous communities.
Bluesky: @hilarybeaumont.bsky.social
Press
The Narwhal — Humanizing the workforce: How we went behind the scenes to tell the story of the migrants growing Canada’s produce
The Big Story Podcast — Enbridge has paid American police millions to protect their pipeline
APTN National News — Why one energy company is picking up the tab for policing
The Big Story Podcast — The Line 5 pipeline: A disaster waiting to happen or necessary to prevent an energy crisis?
The Big Story Podcast — “Them plants are killing us”: Toxic pollution in the rust belt
Canadaland — Should we report climate change as an emergency?
RTDNA — How news organizations should respond to online harassment of journalists
1310 News — Justin Trudeau’s progress on the First Nations water crisis
CBC — Halifax police react to The Coast’s cyberstalking story
Awards
Tiny Foundation Fellowship for Investigative Journalism (2022)
Labour Reporting Award, Canadian Association of Journalists — “They care about their plants and not us” (2021)
Long-list, Allan Slaight Prize for Journalism — What Would It Look Like To Take The First Nations Water Crisis Seriously? (2020)
Honourable mention, Canadian Hillman Prize — Canada’s Indigenous Water Crisis (2018)
Best continuing coverage of a story, Online Publishing Awards — Women allege sexual assault at mine owned by Canadian company (2017)
Best continuing coverage of a story, Online Publishing Awards — First Nations water crisis (2016)
Excellence in Journalism Award, Canadian Journalism Foundation — The always-on stalker (2015)
Community Media Award, Canadian Association of Journalists — The always-on stalker (2015)