CBC On the Island host's book on earthquakes nominated for Balsillie Prize for Public Policy

Four finalists for the inaugural Writers' TrustBalsillie Prize for Public Policy were announced Wednesday and among them isCBC'sOn the Islandhost Gregor Craigie, for his bookOn Borrowed Time: North America's Next Big Quake.

Theaward recognizes non-fiction books that advance public policy discussions about social, political, economicand cultural topics that are relevant to Canadians andengaging to policymakers.The finalists were selected from 69 titles, submitted by 34 publishers.

Craigie says his book dives into how British Columbiacan better prepare for the next big earthquakewhose occurence, geologists say,isn't a matter of if, but when.

"I couldn't help it. I became obsessed with it as a journalist and really in my own personal life as a young parent, starting to worry about all these buildings around me that I would go to in Victoria," he said.

Craigie spoke to emergency officials, seismologists, geologists and earthquakesurvivors fromaround the world.

"Often the building owners or residents or employees don't know that the buildings are at risk, and there are literally thousands of buildings across Vancouver and Metro Vancouver that are at risk and there's no immediate plan to fix them," he said.

Craigie's book also featuresstories from survivors, including a lecturer in New Zealandwho was pinned beneath a rubbleafter the bus she was onwas crushed by a collapsing building during an earthquake.

"Every single person in that bus, except for her, were killed ... and she said, very powerfully, to think that a simple mandate by a municipal government could have saved the lives of all the people in the bus."

He alsolooks at what makes it impossible for scientists to predict when the next earthquake will happen in B.C.

"Scientists can't predict it," Craigiesaid. "In fact, every scientist I talked to said we just need to focus on mitigating and getting ready, not trying to predict earthquakes."

TheBalsillie Prize winner will be announced on Wednesday, Nov. 24 and will be awarded $60,000.