Erin Anderssen

StaffFeature writerHappiness ReporterOttawa, Canada

Area of Expertise

Happiness, social issues and public policy, mental health, how we live together

Erin Anderssen feels lucky to have landed a job at The Globe and Mail's Ottawa Bureau at age 25. Still based in Ottawa, she has gone on to cover social issues, crime, health policy, mental health and social science, working as a long-form feature writer. This has allowed her time to do what she considers the best parts of the job: in-depth conversations with Canadians and poring over academic papers.

Erin has spent months interviewing cancer patients for a special series on the Day in Life of Cancer in Canada, and has led special projects on mental health stigma, the lack of access to mental health care, and teenage suicide.

During the pandemic, she wrote about the personal impact of COVID-19 on families and healthcare professionals.

More recently, she has covered medical assistance in dying for The Globe, as well as the connection between human welfare and nature.

Erin is currently working on a year-long investigation into happiness, and kicked off 2025 with a feature looking at the happiest people in Canada, and what they can teach us.

Occasionally, Erin is able to write pieces about her home province, Nova Scotia. And she will always make time for a good animal story, including this one, which forever changed how she views the octopus.

Why did you become a journalist?

The possibility of a career spent writing drew me to journalism; the ability to make a difference is why I have remained. For the last 30 years, I have had the privilege of writing stories that contributed to important national policy conversations. I have felt truly honoured to be trusted to tell someone's story. I am always amazed at that trust, and also the bravery of people to speak publicly about painful experiences to help others. As a journalist, you see the worst of humanity and, on lucky days, the very best, and that is what makes this job so meaningful.

Years in Journalism

Years at The Globe and Mail

Education

Bachelor of Journalism, Carleton University

Honours & Awards

SABEW Gold for Package, 2024: "Wasted Space: How public land can help fix Canada’s housing crisis" with Chen Wang and Rachelle Younglai

Finalist, Canadian Association of Journalists for Data journalism, 2024: "Wasted space: Could Canada’s underused public land be the key to solving the housing crisis?"

Silver, Digital Publishing Award for Best feature article, 2023: "The great junk transfer is coming"

Finalist, Canadian Association of Journalists for Written feature, 2022: "Consider the octopus, and how it could challenge our ideas about meat"

Honorable mention, Mindset Award for Workplace Mental Health reporting, 2022: "How mental health training for regular citizens is helping to fill Canada’s therapy gap"

Winner, National Newspaper Award for Short feature, 2020: "‘No one should die alone’: This woman comforted 49 people as they died from COVID-19"

Winner, Mindset Award for Workplace Mental Health, 2020: "How can we mend the mental-health gap?"

Finalist, National Newspaper Award for Short feature, 2012: "A father asked for a posthumous trip to outer space – and his family obliged"

Finalist, National Newspaper Award for Long feature, 2011: Being a mother in the 21st century

Winner, National Newspaper Award for Special Project, 2008: Mental health series

Finalist, Michener Award for Public Service in Journalism, 2006

Winner, National Newspaper Award for Special Project, 2006: Cancer series

Winner, National Newspaper Award for Explanatory work, 2004: "Elves of Geodemographics"

Winner, National Newspaper Award for Long feature, 2000

Finalist, Michener Award for Public Service in Journalism, 1996

Winner, National Newspaper Award for Sports, 1996 (New Brunswick Telegraph Journal and Saint John Times Globe)