Phil Reimer, 84, on July 16, after a short stay in Vancouver General Hospital. Originally from Winnipeg, Reimer moved to Victoria at age 14. He started his broadcasting career at CKDA Victoria in 1958, leaving school in Grade 10 to take up the position of all-night disc jockey where the first record he spun was Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel.” He quickly moved into an on-air and production role at CHEK-TV, before relocating back to Winnipeg in 1960 where he worked at CJAY-TV, covering sports and infamously playing one game with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as an embedded sports reporter. He moved over to CBC Sports in Winnipeg from 1965-69, before taking a seven-year break from media. During that time he worked for the federal cabinet in Ottawa, in addition to pursuing his love of travel, running tours to Elvis concerts from 1973-77 and attending 125 shows. He resurfaced in Vancouver in 1977, following Elvis’ untimely death, taking up the role of weatherman at CBC, where he was a fixture until 1995 when he moved over to the same role at CKNW. He retired from the station in 2006, following his 65th birthday. Upon his retirement, he estimated that he’d delivered about 75,000 newscasts. Read more here.
Simon Crouch, 67, on July 12. Crouch started his four-decade journalism career in 1976 after attending Loyalist College. Best known for his work in the Chatham-Kent area covering agriculture issues, Crouch’s stops included serving as News Director and later Farm News Director at Bea-Ver Communications and Blackburn Radio. He also served as a reporter and Bureau Chief at CKCO-TV Kitchener, in addition to freelance work for CBC, among other outlets. Crouch was recognized with the Friend of Agriculture Award from the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce in 2015. He retired from Blackburn Radio in 2016.
Debbie Nightingale, 71, on July 10, following a recurrence of cancer. Nightingale, along with Paul Jay, was instrumental in 1993 in founding the documentary showcase that would eventually become Hot Docs. She helped to raise the initial $100,000 that got Hot Docs Festival off the ground, and served as its first festival manager and later executive director. She began working in film and television in 1979, producing features, series, and documentaries, in addition to events, including managing the industry centre at the Toronto International Film Festival, and later Festival of Festivals. She most recently had executive produced the documentary Quality Balls: The David Steinberg Story in 2013, in addition to comedy series Living in Your Car and The Line.
