Peter Young, 79, on Feb. 2. Young is best known for his two decades with CTV, going from sports director at CKY-TV Winnipeg to network broadcaster, supplying play-by-play and commentary for the NHL, CFL, international tennis, international hockey, numerous Olympic Games, and contributing to more than 100 episodes of Wide World of Sports. He went on to serve as Sports Director at MTN (Manitoba Television Network) from 1995-98, before moving into a career in sport management, holding positions with the Orlando Seals Hockey Club, Arizona Winter League, and New York City-based management and consulting firm, Liberty Sports Group. Originally from Thunder Bay, ON, Young’s introduction to sports journalism started in his teens, covering the Lakehead Senior Fastball League for the Fort William Times-Journal. From there, he held positions at CJLX and CKPR Port Arthur. He concurrently managed to complete a degree at Lakehead University, going on to teach and coach football at the local high school while co-hosting the morning show on 580 CKPR with Don Percy before classes. Young landed in Winnipeg in 1974, pursuing Masters courses at the University of Manitoba and working part-time at CKY-TV. He was quickly asked to join the station full-time as sports director, going on to handle play-by-play duties for the Winnipeg Jets during their run in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and later NHL. He also appeared on Winnipeg Blue Bombers broadcasts, and was part of the original Winnipeg Goldeyes radio broadcast team. Young was named to the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Media Roll of Honour at the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame last year and was invested by the Northwestern Ontario Sport Hall of Fame in 2023 as a Builder. He was named ACTRA Sportscaster of the Year in 1983. Read more here.
Catherine O’Hara, 71, on Jan. 30. Born and raised in Toronto, O’Hara began her comedy career at Toronto’s Second City and went on to help create iconic sketch comedy show SCTV, which earned her four Emmy nominations and one win for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program. Over her 50-year career, she amassed a long list of film and television credits including Beetlejuice, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, HBO miniseries Temple Grandin, and Six Feet Under, among many other productions. She’s arguably best known for her role as Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek from 2015-20, which earned her six Canadian Screen Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, a Golden Globe for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, a Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy, a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. ACTRA Toronto presented her with its Outstanding Performance honour in 2016 and recognized her with the ACTRA National Award of Excellence in 2020. The Canadian Academy presented O”Hara with their Icon Award in 2023 and she accepted the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award at TIFF 2025. She was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2018. Read more here.
Grant “Grantly” Hoffman, 88, on Jan. 24. A lifelong Kitchener resident, Hoffman was a host on CKKW Radio before he made a name for himself as the host of CKCO-TV’s “Canadian Bandstand,” credited with revitalizing the teen program that became simply known as “Bandstand.” Known by his nickname “Grantly,” Hoffman also owned and operated local record store, Colonial Records, in the 1960s. Beyond his broadcast career, he went to serve as manager of Conestoga Golf and Country Club and later spent 17 years managing the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Box Office.
