Michael Easton, unexpectedly, on June 24. Easton’s radio career started as an announcer and producer with CKDA and CFMS-FM Victoria in the mid-1960s. He went on to work at CJVI and CHEK-TV Victoria, and later CJJC Langley, CJCA-FM Edmonton, and CKPG Prince George. In 2006, Easton founded Puget Sound Radio, a media industry news and commentary site focused on Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.

Sunny Sidhu, 51, on June 20, after a lengthy battle with scleroderma. A graduate of BCIT, Sidhu’s broadcasting career started at A-Channel in Edmonton in the mid-1990s as an entertainment anchor and fill-in weather host. He worked with the station for seven years, before pursuing freelance projects as a host and producer for MTV Asia, covering festivals and interviewing artists for the network’s markets in India, Pakistan, and Hong Kong, and later for the Channel V music network. While continuing to pursue hosting, acting, voiceover, documentary and other projects, Sidhu simultaneously launched a successful career in real estate. Among his recent projects were 2022 short doc, Punjabi Pioneers of Alberta, which he wrote and starred in; and Singhs in the Ring, the forthcoming feature documentary on the Singh wrestling dynasty for Crave, on which he served as a producer and executive producer. Read more here.

Bryan Olney, 87, on June 13 at the Manitoulin Health Centre, in Little Current, ON. Born in England, Olney moved to Canada with his parents at the age of 13 and settled in Hamilton. He discovered his love for radio shortly after leaving high school early to take a job as a bank teller, joining the radio station in Timmins and then CKWS Kingston, starting in the late 1950s. He was a popular DJ on both AM 960 (CKWS-AM) as well CKWS-TV where he hosted “Teenage Dance Party” throughout the 1960s, modeled after Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.” Among other career highlights, Olney welcomed the Beatles to Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens on Sept. 7, 1964. After going back to school at Queen’s University as a mature student where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and then a Master’s Degree with Honours in Political Science, he took up teaching in the Broadcast Journalism program at Loyalist College in Belleville in the late 1970s, where he served as a professor and then Dean and Associate Vice Principal. He went on to become the Director of the School of Journalism at the University of Regina and later travelled to Abu Dhabi to develop and lead the Communication, Journalism and Media Studies programs at the Higher Colleges of Technology.

Lynn Kelly, 72, on June 5 after a long battle against early onset Alzheimer’s. Born in Montreal, Kelly spent her formative years in Europe. Interested in broadcast journalism, she overcame her natural shyness and applied to CBC Toronto in the early 1970s, starting out in a clerical role in the news department before rising to become a reporter, writer, and producer in both New Brunswick and Toronto. She ended her career with the public broadcaster as a producer on The National.

Stanley “Stan” Fox, 97, on May 20, in Victoria. Fox was hired as a film editor at CBC Vancouver in 1953, later becoming a producer and director with the station’s film department. He was also involved in the Vancouver Film Society, which he took over alongside Alan King in 1948, co-founding the Vancouver International Film Festival in 1958. His amateur filmmaking work included award-winning films “Suite Two: A Memo to Oscar” (1947) and “In the Daytime” (1949-50), both of which are preserved in the BC Archives. He returned to television in 1981 at TVOntario as the Director of Adult Programming, acquiring and developing programs. He also served as an Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Film at York University from 1971-84. He went on to work as an independent media producer in Victoria.

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.

Matt O’Neill, 55, on July 25. O’Neill is best known for his run on JACK FM (CJAQ-FM) mornings in Calgary, alongside co-host Eric Francis. “The Matt and Eric Show” started airing in May 2003, shortly after the station’s launch, running for 12 years before its cancellation in 2015. O’Neill was vocal about his struggles with both mental health and alcoholism, and returned to the morning show two years later alongside Sarah Crosbie where he opened up on-air about his personal life after getting sober. O’Neill, who moved to Calgary in 2000, formerly spent five years at Mix 99.9 (CKFM-FM) Toronto, in addition to stints at CKNS Espanola, among other stations. O’Neill was diagnosed with cancer in early 2024.

Dennis Lynn Firby, 68, on Aug. 7 at Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington. Firby’s broadcasting career began at CKNX Wingham, ON, going on to hold roles with CFTO and YTV in the 1990s, before he moved on to Sun News as Director of Technical Operations, helping launch Toronto 1 in 2003. In 2011, Firby joined Hamilton’s CHCH-TV as Project Manager, Operations, concluding his career with CHCH parent company Channel Zero as Manager, Toronto Operations. He semi-retired in 2018.

Joan Leishman, 67, on Aug. 3. A graduate of Ryerson University’s Journalism program, Leishman was a reporter for CBC for three decades, initially joining CBC Radio in 1986. Starting out as a writer and editor, she co-produced current affairs program, Media File, and was a foreign field producer during the Gulf War. In 1992, Leishman set up CBC Radio’s first bureau in Africa. Based in Johannesburg, she documented South Africa’s transition from apartheid to Nelson Mandela’s election as its first Black president, the Rwandan genocide, and Angolan civil war, among other stories. She was named CBC-TV’s Mexico City bureau chief in 1997, and later joined The National as a documentary reporter, focused on Canadian and foreign affairs. Passionate about human rights, Leishman lent her time to PEN Canada, advocating for persecuted writers and defending their right to freedom of expression, in addition to working with refugee settlement agency, Romero House. In 2023, she was recognized with PEN Canada’s Marie-Ange Garrigue Award in recognition of her human rights advocacy. 

Scott Sutherland, 70, on July 24 at Lady Minto Hospital on Salt Spring Island after a battle with cancer. Born in Montreal, Sutherland moved to Toronto with his family in his teens, starting his broadcasting career in radio in the GTA, including a stint in news and traffic at CFNY-FM in the mid-1980s. He eventually joined The Canadian Press (CP), relocating to Vancouver in 1990 and then Victoria where he helmed Broadcast News coverage of the B.C. Legislature. After 14 years in the role and serving as president of the B.C. Legislative Press Gallery for seven, Sutherland moved into government communications and was appointed Media Relations Manager for the B.C. Ministry of Education in 2009. He retired in 2015.

Harvey Glatt, 91, on Aug. 20. Glatt, a staple on the Ottawa music scene for six decades, got his feet wet in broadcasting as the all-night DJ on CFRA Ottawa in 1952 during summer vacation. While studying Business at Clarkson College of Technology in Potsdam, New York, he DJ’ed at the local campus radio station, also serving as sports director and doing play-by-play hockey broadcasts. Glatt went on to open Ottawa’s first stand-alone record store, The Treble Clef, in 1957, with his wife Louise. They subsequently became partners in Le Hibou Coffee House, where folk legends like Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Bruce Cockburn played. Glatt later founded concert promotion business, Bass Clef Entertainment and Bytown Music Publishing. In 1976, he helped launch CHEZ 106, which he served as chairman of for 23 years. He went on to buy two more radio stations, CKIK Calgary and CJET Smiths Falls, selling all three to Rogers Communications in 1999. He was concurrently active on the boards of FACTOR and the Canadian Film Institute, among other organizations. Glatt was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Hall of Fame in 2007, received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013, and was named to the Order of Ottawa in 2022.

Tracey Robertson, 59, on Aug. 20. Originally hailing from Westbank, BC, Robertson was a graduate of Western University’s Master of Journalism program. Her broadcasting career included six years with CNN as a writer and producer, and a brief stint with Global TV as a producer, before she joined CTV behind-the-scenes for a decade. She went on to work with CBC Vancouver as a producer, starting in 2011.

Dan O’Connell, 72, on Aug. 19, in Antigonish, NS. O’Connell was a school teacher and worked in public relations, prior to his career in television news. He joined CBC Nova Scotia in 1989 as a Senior Editorial Assistant, moving into a reporter/editor role the following year. Among the big stories O’Connell covered was the Westray Mine Disaster, where he was one of the first reporters on the scene. He was recognized with an Atlantic Journalism Award for his work covering the tainted blood scandal, among other nominations over the years. He retired at the end of 2013.

David Keighley, 77, on Aug. 28, after a battle with neuroendocrine prostate cancer. IMAX’s first-ever Chief Quality Officer, Toronto-born Keighley oversaw post-production on more than 500 IMAX films and was a trusted partner to filmmakers, including Christopher Nolan. He entered the giant screen industry in 1972, alongside his wife and business partner Patricia, founding large-format post-production company David Keighley Productions and going on to co-direct the IMAX film “Catch the Sun.” They formed a lasting partnership with IMAX, working on every one of the company’s releases thereafter. In 1988, DKP 70MM was acquired by IMAX, and the Keighleys joined its team, helping cement IMAX’s reputation for technical excellence. In 2015, IMAX’s premiere theatre at its L.A. offices was dedicated as the “David Keighley Theater.” Keighley was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and  involved in its Science & Technology Awards Committee, in addition to membership in the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), a Life Fellow of SMPTE, and a recipient of its Herbert T. Kalmus Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Color Motion Pictures. He received the Giant Screen Theater Association’s inaugural Special Achievement in Film Award, and was later honoured alongside his wife with the organization’s Outstanding Achievement Award.

Jonathan Collicott, 52, on Aug. 27, at home in Keswick Ridge, NB. A graduate of St. Thomas University, Collicott had a three-decade career as an independent filmmaker, researching, writing, directing and editing across documentary, drama and corporate work, while also serving as Department Head of the film programs at the Centre for Arts & Technology and daVinci College in Fredericton. He joined CBC New Brunswick in 2018 as a videographer and editor, working on the local evening TV news program, and creating content for TV, web, and social media. He took on many video projects that he shot, produced and edited, including a longform feature where he trained alongside volunteer firefighters. Collicott also worked on many special live programs, including provincial election specials.

Monique Fortier, 97, on Aug. 18. Fortier’s career as an editor and filmmaker spanned more than 40 years at the NFB (National Film Board). Fortier was the first francophone woman to direct a film at the NFB, “The Hour of Independence,” in 1963. The following year, she directed “La beauté même,” starring Monique Miller, one of the first films made by a woman about women. She went on to devote herself to editing, becoming a key figure in the field in Quebec and Canada, working on NFB productions including Denys Arcand’s “The Decline of the American Empire (Le Déclin de l’empire américain),” for which she won a Genie Award for Best Editing in 1987. Fortier was the subject of a film portrait in 2014 for NFB’s Making Movie History series.

Fred Merritt, 83, on Aug. 21. Merritt spent more than 50 years in radio at stations around Ontario, starting in Orillia in 1960 at the age of 19. From there, he was on-air at CFCO Chatham, before moving over to CKKW-AM Kitchener in 1966 and sister station CFCA-FM when it began broadcasting the following year, hosting a daily live show and taping a late night easy listening program called “Night Flight.” He was among those caught up in layoffs following CFCA’s acquisition by CHUM Limited in 1994, but resurfaced a year later, hosting “Merritt in Stereo” on 98.5 CKWR-FM. Merritt retired from the station in January 2011 at age 69.

Beverly Thomson, 61, on Sept. 14. Thomson’s 30-year career as a journalist started in radio news in Newmarket, ON and 680 CFTR, before she arrived at CFTO Toronto as a reporter and weekend anchor. From there, she moved over to Global News Toronto as the weeknight, supper-hour anchor from 1997 to 2003. It was that year, that she received her initial breast cancer diagnosis, which she covered in the documentary, “Where There Is No Fear,” becoming an official spokesperson for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Thomson returned to CTV in late 2003 as host of Canada AM, while still undergoing chemotherapy. After a 13-run year with the morning show, she landed on the anchor desk at CTV News Channel in 2016, following Canada AM’s cancellation. In 2019, Thomson was named a Member of the Order of Canada. She received Seneca College’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000 and the Ontario Premier’s Award for Creative Arts & Design in 2003. She was the 2006 recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the Gemini Awards (now Canadian Screen Awards). In 2009, she was appointed by the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, as the National Ambassador for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. In 2024, she was recognized with an RTDNA National Lifetime Achievement Award. Read more here.

Howard Christensen, 80, on Sept. 11. Christensen’s career as an anchor, editor and reporter started at CHAM Hamilton in 1972, with stops at CKJD Sarnia, CHYM Kitchener, CHUM Toronto, CJAD Montreal, and CKVR-TV Barrie to follow. He joined the Broadcast News (BN) wire service in Toronto as a reporter/editor in 1977. When network newscasts were launched, Christensen was one of the six original newscasters who helped take BN into a new era of Canadian news audio delivery. In 1981, he was promoted to General Executive – Eastern Canada with responsibility for all Canadian radio and TV stations east of the Ontario/Manitoba border. In 1989, the entrepreneurial bug bit. He started by writing, producing, and voicing corporate videos and writing and designing company newsletters, including one for BN. Recognizing a lack of timeliness in the dissemination of broadcast industry news, Christensen launched Broadcast Dialogue in May 1992, initially sent out weekly by fax every Thursday morning. In 1998, Broadcast Dialogue was expanded to a monthly magazine. Together with editor Barry Hamelin, a colleague from his time at BN, they reimagined the publication. In 2013, anticipating the tectonic changes about to take place within the broadcast industry, Christensen combined the weekly Broadcast Dialogue with the monthly magazine. Following the announcement of his retirement in 2016, the publication was acquired by publisher Shawn Smith, President of Vancouver-based Momentum Media Marketing. Over the years, Christensen was honoured with “Friend of the Industry” awards from the Atlantic Association of Broadcasters, the Central Canada Broadcasters Association (now the OAB), the Western Association of Broadcasters (WAB) and the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters (BCAB), Radio-Television News Directors Association (now RTDNA), Central Canada Broadcast Engineers (CCBE) and the Western Association of Broadcast Engineers (WABE). In 2020, Broadcast Dialogue dubbed its new Canadian Radio Awards program “The Howards” to honour the publication’s founder. Read more here.

Jim McLaughlin, on Sept. 23, after a short battle with liver cancer. McLaughlin started in radio at CHED Edmonton in 1966 in news, going on to hold roles over the next decade that included rising to the position of News Director. His career with Moffatt Communications grew from there, serving as National Sales Assistant and National Program Director, ultimately assuming the role of Vice-President of Radio. When Moffat decided to exit the radio business in 1992, he started looking for a management position, joining South Fraser Broadcasting’s Z95 (CKZZ-FM) and CISL Vancouver in January 1993. McLaughlin was also involved in industry organizations, including serving two terms as a director with both the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and Broadcast Bureau of Measurement (BBM). He additionally was among the radio industry boosters who worked closely (alongside Chuck McCoy) on the formation of FACTOR (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Records).

Joseph (Joe) Ulmer, 70,  on Sept. 20, at home in Kitchener. Ulmer was born and raised in Kitchener, graduating from St. Jerome’s High School and later Conestoga College. Known for his sunny disposition, Ulmer worked for CKCO-TV (CTV Kitchener) for almost four decades as an editor. He retired in 2017.

Nadir Mohamed, 69, on Sept. 18. Mohamed joined Rogers Communications in 2000, serving as President & CEO of Rogers Wireless from 2001 to 2005, when he was appointed President & Chief Operating Officer of Rogers. In 2009, he succeeded Ted Rogers as President & CEO of the company, holding the role until his retirement in January 2014. He was also Co-Founder and Chair of venture capital fund manager, ScaleUP Ventures; Chair of tech incubator DMZ Ventures; and Chairman of private investment firm, Alignvest Management Corporation. He additionally chaired the Digital Media Zone Advisory Council, served as CEO in residence at Ryerson University, and on the boards of TD Bank Financial Group, Trilogy International Partners, Tennis Canada, UHN Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation, and was a founding board member of Next 36/NEXT Canada, supporting students and recent grads launching startups. Mohamed was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2019 and recognized by the UN Association in Canada at their 2013 Global Citizens Dinner. Read more here.

Su McKillop, 74, on Sept. 14. McKillop spent much of her career at CKCO-TV Kitchener as Television Traffic Supervisor. She later joined CTV Toronto, where she retired as the Director of Revenue Management.

Willa McLean, 92, on Sept. 4. Born in Stayner, ON, McLean started her professional career as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse at just 18 years-old. She went on to become a TV and radio producer for her husband Bob McLean, her partner of 58 years up until his death in 2014, when there were few women producers. McLean proposed to the second grade teacher while hosting the morning show at CKBB Barrie, moving the family around over the next few years, before returning to Canada and the CBC in 1975, where he hosted lunchtime staple “The Bob McLean Show.” He later joined “all-talk” news station CKO, where the couple worked alongside one another, prior to the network’s shutdown in 1989. He continued to host, with Willa producing, including daily CKCO-TV show, McLean and Company, which had a six-year run on the Kitchener station in the 1990s. The couple ended their careers at Kitchener’s CKWR radio in 2011.

Gary McLaren, 92, on Sept. 23. McLaren began working at CKCO, now CTV Kitchener, in 1957. McLaren anchored the station’s 6 p.m. newscast for many years, also serving as news director and assignment editor. He additionally produced and hosted weekend current affairs program, Sunday AM, a program considered ahead of its time. He retired in 1994. Watch CTV Kitchener’s tribute to McLaren here.

Hal Blackadar, 85, peacefully on Oct. 7, in Oakville. Blackadar had a more than five-decade career in radio that culminated in serving as Executive Vice President and Interim President at Corus Radio, prior to his retirement in 2010. He went on to continue to serve as an in-house consultant for Corus. Blackadar’s career was highlighted by numerous leadership positions, including serving as General Manager of CFNY Toronto from 1995 to 2001, under Maclean-Hunter’s Key Radio division. Prior to that, he served as VP and GM of CHNS and CHFX-FM Halifax, and by 1986 was appointed to the same post at CKOY and CKBY-FM Ottawa, joining the Key Radio executive team, eventually rising to the position of President, Ontario Region Radio Division. Blackadar also had extensive involvement in industry associations, including the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) where he was a founding member of the Digital Radio Roll Out committee, in addition to serving as a director on the boards of Women In Communications & Technology, FACTOR, and the Radio Marketing Bureau.

Dennis Trudeau, 77, on Oct. 6 after a long battle with cancer. Trudeau, who hailed from Ottawa, obtained a Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the University of Western Ontario, before heading to Quebec to work as a political reporter for the Montreal Gazette and Montreal Star, later covering the National Assembly for the Chronicle Telegraph. In 1971, he moved to Montreal to work for The Canadian Press (CP), eventually making his way to CBC Radio in 1979 where he hosted programs like CBC Montreal’s Daybreak and national shows, As It Happens and Cross-Country Checkup. He’s best known for his 18 years serving as the anchor for CBC Montreal English supper hour newscast, CBC Newswatch, from 1987 to 2005. In 2007, he founded Dennis Trudeau Communications , offering his services as a master of ceremonies, moderator, and facilitator, concurrently taking a year-long spin as a morning radio talk show host at Corus Entertainment’s AM 940 (CFNV-AM), contributing commentary to Dutrizac le midi on 98.5 FM (CHMP-FM) Montreal and contributing an urban affairs column to Montreal Centre Ville. Read more here.

Mike Walker, 37, on Oct. 4, after a long battle with brain cancer. After graduating from the BCIT Broadcast Journalism program, Walker began his broadcast career in his hometown of Victoria at CHEK News in 2010, holding roles from sports and news anchor to camera operator, editor and writer, earning the nickname “Pipes.” He went on to co-found video production company, Roll.Focus.Productions in 2015, alongside his wife Amanda Eyolfson (who he met at BCIT), honing his skills directing and producing both promotional and broadcast projects. In addition to his work with CHEK, he also served as a colour commentator for the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League from 2011-15, heard on Pattison Media’s The Zone @ 91.3 (CJZN-FM). First diagnosed with brain cancer in his early twenties, he was given a terminal diagnosis last year.

Jim Hogan, 85, on Sept 30. Born in Bathurst, NB, Hogan was a mining executive for over 30 years, before venturing into film and television as a producer. He went on to create over 52 hours of documentary programming, including serving as executive producer on long-running Discovery Channel series Frontiers of Construction, for which he earned a Gemini Award nomination for Best Science, Technology, Nature, Environment or Adventure Documentary Program in 2001.

John Sexsmith, 63, on Oct. 17, following a 13-year battle with prostate cancer. A graduate of the NAIT Radio & Television program, Sexsmith started his broadcast career at Edmonton’s K-97 (CIRK-FM) in 1990, serving as the station’s sports director and co-hosting the morning show. In 1995, he joined 630 CHED as a host, before quickly moving on to Global Edmonton/ITV in 1997. Sexsmith was a sports reporter and anchor with the station for 26 years. He received his initial cancer diagnosis in 2012, and went on to take an extended leave for much of 2016 and 2017. In 2023 he left television and joined the Alberta Cancer Foundation as a philanthropy officer. 

Bryn Matthews, 86, on Oct. 13. While raised in Toronto, Matthews started his television career across the pond as a trainee television director on Coronation Street in Manchester. After returning to Canada in 1965, he went on to work with CFTO Toronto as a producer and director on the 6 p.m. news and a director on CTV’s W5. After taking a break to study at the Sorbonne, he once again returned to Canada in the 1970s to take on an executive role at CJOH / CTV Ottawa, serving as president and general manager. Among the shows he produced were youth programs like You Can’t Do That on Television, High School Confidential, Marie-Soleil and Denim Blues.

Robert Rudd, 77, on Oct. 19 after a battle with dementia. Born in Swift Current, SK, Rudd attended Eastern Pentecostal Bible College and later Ryerson Polytechnic. He went on to work for radio and TV stations in southern Ontario for 16 years, holding roles from field reporter to TV anchorman and ultimately Vice President of News and Information at CHEX TV in Peterborough. In 1988, he joined the Ontario Provincial Police Corporate Communications Bureau where he worked as a media projects officer until his retirement in 2016. He additionally served as a writer, editor, and media relations instructor for the OPP Academy. In 2004, Rudd was honoured with the Ontario Provincial Police Accolade Award for Civilian of the Year.

Bill Cole, 60, on Oct. 31 of kidney failure. Cole started his broadcasting career in Southern Ontario, working at stations in Windsor and Simcoe before rising to the position of news and sports director at 1570 CHLO St. Thomas. He went on to become a morning sportscaster on 680 News (CFTR-AM) Toronto from 1990 until 2005 when he married his wife Katie and began living in the U.S. After a stint on-air at WFLA Tampa Bay, the couple returned to Ontario and settled in Corunna, with Cole reading news at 99.1 CKXS-FM Wallaceburg.

Gilles Blais, 84, on Oct. 17. Blais had a career spanning more than three decades at the National Film Board, starting in 1965. Originally from Rimouski, among the flagship projects he worked on were Expo 67 multi-screen presentation In the Labyrinth, on which he served as assistant cameraman, and established a video unit for an agricultural outreach project in Tunisia in the early 1970s, serving as production advisor for eight films on human settlements shot in Africa for the United Nations Conference. Documentaries he directed included The Netsilik Eskimo Today (1971), chronicling the day-to-day of an Inuit family in Pelly Bay; The Followers (1981), about young Quebec devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness; Joseph K. L’homme numéroté (1990), a docufiction on surveillance and private life starring actor Paul Savoie; and The Engagement (1994), about a troupe of intellectually challenged performers who travel to France to stage a theatre production, which captured the Hydro-Québec Public’s Grand Prize at the Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Best Social Issue Documentary at Hot Docs. After leaving NFB in 1997, he went on to direct and serve as a cinematographer on numerous projects including a credit as Director of Photography on more than 150 episodes of the TV series, How It’s Made.

Gary Megaffin, 88, on Oct. 25. Megaffin started his career in radio in the mid-1950s as a news reader on CFOS AM 560 Owen Sound. From there, he joined CKCR AM 1490 Kitchener in 1960, where he was known as “Gary Laffin’ Megaffin,” for often laughing the most at his own jokes. He went on to work with CHIC-AM Brampton from 1974-75, co-hosting Sports Talk, alongside Michael Colle.

Steve Duffy, 73, on Nov. 11, after battling Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) disease. Duffy had a 44-year radio career on Vancouver Island, starting at CJAV-FM Port Alberni in the early 1970s. From there, he Dj’ed in Courtenay, before arriving in Victoria at CKDA in 1976 as a reporter, which allowed him to integrate his love for sports into his work. After a change of ownership at CKDA, he continued his career with The Q (CKKQ-FM), eventually joining CFAX 1070 where he was best known as the voice of morning sports. Duffy was caught up in cutbacks at Bell Media in 2017.

Colleen Jones, 65, on Nov. 25 after a battle with cancer. Jones began her broadcasting career in radio sports with CHUM Halifax in 1982. She transitioned into television with CTV in 1984, before signing on with CBC Nova Scotia in 1986 as a sportscaster on First Edition with Jim Nunn and Susan Ormiston. Concurrently, she made history in 1982 as the youngest skip, at age 22, to win the Canadian Women’s Curling Championship. She joined Don Wittman and Don Duguid on CBC Sports curling broadcasts a few years later. She went on to win a record six Canadian Curling Championships, in addition to two World Women’s Curling Championships. In 1993, she signed on with CBC Newsworld as the early morning weather presenter and sports reporter. She covered a total of 11 Olympic Games for the public broadcaster and served as a curling commentator for NBC during the 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2012, she joined CBC Nova Scotia as a reporter, carving out a niche as a local storyteller. She retired after 37 years with CBC in April 2023. Jones was named to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, and appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022. Read more here.

Bruce Martin, 88, on Nov. 16. Martin’s early career saw him work with CKCO-TV Kitchener in the early 1960s, before joining CFTO-TV Toronto. In 1969, Martin relocated to the West Coast, joining CHEK-TV Victoria as a producer and director. Following his television career, he worked for BC Ferries, and later ran his own appliance repair company. 

Bill Brady, 93, on Nov. 16. Born in Windsor, ON, Brady established himself as a broadcast legend in London, starting at CKSL-AM, before hosting the mid-morning time slot on CFPL-AM and then an open-line format radio show in the 1970s. He was also a fixture on local TV. Brady once stayed on-air for 30 hours straight during a historic 1978 blizzard, passing along news and information. In 1993, he was named president of Blackburn Radio and later helmed operations for the Blackburn Group. As a volunteer, he served as Chair of the London Health Association Board of Directors, and on the boards of Robarts Research Institute and London Centre for Juvenile Diabetes Research. In the 1980s, he co-founded Transplant International (Canada), helping spread the word about organ donation. He received an honorary doctorate from Western University in 1990, was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1991, and received the Sovereign Medal for Volunteer Service in 2021.

Gail Scott, 82, on Nov. 26. Born and raised in Ottawa, Scott earned her Bachelor of Journalism degree from Carleton University before spending a year in Paris in 1964 where she studied at the Sorbonne, returning bilingual. After finishing her graduate diploma in Journalism in 1966 at Carleton, she launched her career at CBC Ottawa as the newsroom’s first on-camera woman reporter. By 1969, she had risen to the role of Assignment Editor for both English and French television. In the 1970s, she moved into a role as parliamentary correspondent, first for CBC Radio and then CTV. She went on to join CTV’s W5 as a producer and host, later co-hosting Canada AM from 1978-81, alongside Norm Perry. She left the network in 1982 and joined the School of Broadcast Journalism at Ryerson University, served two terms as a CRTC commissioner, as President of the Michener Award Foundation, and was an independent member of the Canadian Television Fund board of directors. Scott was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Hall of Fame in 2005. She ended her career as one of the longest-serving members on Ontario’s Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

Mike Millar, 48, on Nov. 24, of cancer. Born in Napanee and raised in Oshawa, Millar earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and English from Queen’s University, later attending Centennial College’s Book and Magazine Publishing post-graduate program. That led to a career in publishing, working with HarperCollins Canada and Penguin Random House. In addition to freelance communications specialist work, Millar had most recently worked as a Communications Officer with Bell Media and TSN, working across its news, radio and sports properties.

Kent Guy, on Dec. 8. A longtime marketing and communications professional, Guy spent 15 years with Corus Entertainment’s Radio division as Director of Promotions and New Media for Corus Radio London and Woodstock, starting in 2006. During his time there, he also took on duties with the local JUNO Awards host committee, serving as the local Director of Sponsorship for the 2019 event. After parting ways with Corus in early 2021, Guy went on to work with Ronald McDonald House in Southwestern Ontario, most recently holding the title of Senior Manager of Communications and Associate Director of Community Relations. He also taught part-time in the media program at Fanshawe College.

Jim MacLeod, 78, unexpectedly on Dec. 4. MacLeod started his broadcasting career in 1967 as an announcer at CKDH Amherst, NS. That same year, he joined CHUM Limited’s CJCH Halifax, before detouring to take on program director responsibilities at CFBC Saint John. He returned to CJCH in 1972 before taking a four-year break from broadcasting to serve as National Executive Director of the Canada Jaycees, the Junior Chamber youth leadership organization. MacLeod went back into broadcasting in 1977 with Jack Schoone’s Eastern Broadcasting, serving as General Manager of CFOR Orillia and later CKGB/CFTI FM Timmins. In 1981, MacLeod returned to CHUM to helm three-station Alberta group – CKDQ Drumheller, CKSQ Stettler, and CIBQ Brooks. He moved back east in 1987, where he was named President of NewCap, a role he served in until 1993 when he rejoined Schoone as a minority partner and president of Radiocorp Inc., which purchased CKLH FM/CKOC Hamilton and CJBX FM/CJBK London. Telemedia acquired the stations in late 1999, with MacLeod remaining on as Executive Vice-President. In February 2001, he was appointed President & CEO of BBM Canada, staying with the measurement bureau through its rebrand as Numeris in 2014. He held the role until early 2016. MacLeod was also active as a board member and chairman of the Radio Marketing Bureau and the radio advisory board of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB). Read more here.

Heather Thompson-Lavallee, 69, on Dec. 5. A graduate of the Canadore College Radio and Television program, Thompson’s broadcasting career took her to Huntsville, Timmins, North Bay, and eventually Orillia, where she served as news director and morning show host for CICX-FM for more than a decade from 1997 – 2008, through its ownership transition from Telemedia to Rogers, and then Larche Communications when it rebranded from EZ Rock to KICX 106. Outside of her work in radio, she helped establish Gilda’s Club Barrie (now Gilda’s Club Simcoe Muskoka), supporting cancer patients and their families; served as Regional Director of the RTDNA (Radio Television News Directors Association) from 2000-04; and handled publicity and media relations for the Orillia Terry Fox Run, Orillia Jazz and Blues Festival, and Barrie’s Theatre By the Bay, among other organizations and events she lent her time to.

Dave Alendal, 84 on Oct. 23. Alendal was a longtime employee of S.W. Davis Broadcast Technical Services. Based in Prince George, he was instrumental in the technical development of CKPG radio and television. In the 1970s, he left CKPG to divide his time between CJCI, CIRX and Central Interior Cablevision. The radio company grew to become Cariboo Central Interior Radio in the 1980s and ‘90s, with AM and FM radio stations throughout the Central Interior, Cariboo and Bulkley Valley regions of British Columbia. Alendal rose to the position of Chief Engineer, leading the company’s technical department, while also serving on its Board of Directors until his retirement in 2006.    

Julie Brown, 80, on Dec. 16 after a battle with ALS. “Downtown” Julie Brown started her radio career at Montreal’s CHOM-FM in the early 1970s, going on to be heard on CFMI-FM Vancouver and later CJAZ-FM and CKKS-FM in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. She was the weekend host at Durham Radio’s WAVE 98.3 (CIWV-FM) Vancouver when the station launched in 2022. Brown received an ALS diagnosis in 2024. She was also known for performing as part of Vancouver-based jazz vocal trio, The Hot Mammas. Listen to Tara Jean Stevens tribute on WAVE 98.3 here.

Dennis Hendricks, 73, on Dec. 16. After studying Marketing Management and Sales at NAIT, Hendricks embarked on a career in media sales. He joined Sunwapta Broadcasting (now CTV Edmonton) in 1986, rising to the position of sales manager eight years later. He went on to serve as General Sales Manager at CTV Vancouver from 1997 – 2001. He later formed his own event signage and marketing services company, DRH Performance.

Michael Whalen, 82, on Dec. 15, of cancer. Whalen’s early broadcast career saw him host a music program at CBC Radio Montreal in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. He was among the reporters who covered John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s infamous “bed-in for peace” at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in 1960. He went on to work for CFCF-TV (now CTV Montreal) as a medical reporter, before joining TSN as the network’s first permanent bureau reporter outside Toronto at network launch in 1986. Among his beats were the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Expos and Montreal Alouettes, which he covered for TSN from 1986 to 2007. His career ended when he was packaged out by Bell Media at age 65. 

Ron Mullin, 78, on Nov. 28. Originally from Glentworth, SK, Mullin (aka “Moon”) attended Mount Royal College in Calgary where his broadcasting career was born. His work took him to communities across Saskatchewan, including CFSL Weyburn, CKSW Swift Current and CKRM Regina, before he eventually settled at CJOC Lethbridge.

Lawrence “Larry” Bennett, 71, on Dec. 16, at Western Memorial Regional Hospital. From a young age, Bennett dreamt of working in radio while growing up in St. George’s, NL. That dream became a reality at CFSX Radio Stephenville where he hosted the morning show for 42 years. He went on to host the weekly “Gold Rush” program on Corner Brook community station, BayFM (CKVB-FM).

Pierre Trudel, 82, on Dec. 12, after battling Parkinson’s. A familiar voice to Montreal sports fans, starting in 1979, Trudel spent nearly three decades at CKAC. He went on to host call-in show Parlons Sports on CJMS, alongside Ron Fournier and former NHL’er Mario Tremblay in the late 1980s. He also contributed regularly to Mario Langlois’ Les Amateurs de sports on 98.5 (CHMP-FM). Trudel wrapped up his radio career in 2015 as a columnist at Montreal’s Radio 9 (CKLX-FM), now part of the BPM Sports network.