My all-time favorite moment as a hander-out-of-prizes came late last year. At the Toronto launch of 50 Canadians Who Changed the World, I was honoured to give The Best Little Boy in the Whole Wide World Award to James P. McGoogan, who by good luck happened to be in the audience. That would be James in the photograph, which was taken by his Nan. My second favorite prize-announcing moment is the present one, when I get to tell you who won the $5,000 VIA-Rail Travel Voucher. You’ll remember entering that contest, which was sponsored by VIA-Rail and HarperCollins Canada. It attracted 11,353 entries, as you can see: (www.50Canadians.com). Three runners-up won signed copies of 50 Canadians, which will soon be heading their way: Penny Routledge of Victoria, British Columbia; James Spurr of Milford, Nova Scotia; and Taryn McDonnell

of Toronto, Ontario. The grand prize winner, who will receive a signed copy of the book AND the $5K credit towards the trip of a lifetime is . . . drum roll please . . . Ernest Martin of Oshawa, Ontario. I hasten to add that I know none of these people personally. That you are all equally deserving. And that, had it been up to me, I would have awarded the Grand Prize to YOU. Maybe next time, eh?