Paula Simons (born September 7, 1964) is a Canadian senator. She previously worked as a journalist and was a columnist for the Edmonton Journal in Edmonton, Alberta. She sits as a senator representing Alberta in the Senate of Canada, and is part of the Independent Senators Group caucus. Early life and career Simons was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, one of two children born to Norman Wolfe and Oli (née Dyck) Simons. Her father, a lawyer, was of Jewish descent; her paternal grandparents had immigrated from Russia and settled in Round Hill, Alberta where he was raised. She earned a B.A. Honours degree in English Literature and minor in French and Comparative Literature from the University of Alberta in 1986, and a master's degree in Journalism from Stanford University, before spending time as a fellow at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. She returned to Canada in the winter of 1988 and secured a position as a part-time weekend copy editor at the Alberta Report, then as a producer for CBC Radio in Toronto and Edmonton from 1989 to 1995. Edmonton JournalJoining in 1995, Simons is best known for her work as a journalist with the Edmonton Journal newspaper, where her work as a political columnist and investigative journalist earned her a faithful following. She became a columnist on city affairs in 2001. Over the course of her 23 years with the Journal, Simons earned two National Newspaper Awards for her investigations and analysis of Alberta's troubled child welfare system. Her investigative work on Indigenous child welfare and government cover-ups of the deaths of children in foster care also earned her recognition from the UNESCO Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom, and from Journalists for Human Rights. Simons was part of two Edmonton Journal “breaking news” teams that won National Newspaper Awards for their coverage of the Fort McMurray wildfire and for their stories on the murder of four RCMP officers at Rochfort Bridge, Alberta. She earned a six further National Newspaper Award citations of merit for her columns and editorials on Alberta politics. She has also received recognition from the Alberta Centre for Civil Liberties Research for her work championing LGBQT rights, from the Canadian Bar Association for her writing on legal affairs, from the Canadian Mental Health Association for her columns on mental health care, and from the Edmonton Historical Board for her work as a popular