Turns out, I'm still eliglble. I've submitted a completed app a few days ago! Fingers crossed now until February. If I don't get it, I'll just rush to complete my dissertation and that's okay.
I would recommend doing both if you want to become an academic that has in impact in the public sphere. That's what I do. But academia will always value peer-reviewed journal articles more.
Just my two cents.
I think it's worth it, because it can help your work gain a lot of visibility. I've gotten academic publication opportunities through my non-academic publications
Wow did you see this?
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/11/01/why-this-professor-walked-away-from-one-of-the-most-prestigious-organizations-in-canada-and-others-are-tempted-to-do-the-same.html
Well, it seems like I'm not eligible because I'm a third-year PhD Candidate. It appears that this criteria has changed, it says only accepted, first or second year PhD students