Bob Weiers, the Executive Producer of Elections and Live Events for CBC News, is retiring. Following writing and lineup editor stints at Global and CTV, Weiers joined the public broadcaster in 1990, working as a producer in the Queen’s Park bureau, for CBC Newsworld, and on The National, among other programs. He’d been a Senior Producer with Elections and Live Events since 2004.
Ginette Viens has joined Montreal-based Pixcom as VP, International Productions and Executive Producer. The former Quebecor VP of Brands & Content will oversee all international scripted and non-scripted development and production slates.
Frédéric Perron will assume the role of President of Cogeco Connexion, effective Sept. 1. Perron currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer at T-Mobile Poland, where he leads a team of 3,000 people serving 7 million customers. Prior to T-Mobile, he held senior leadership roles at Rogers Communications, Vodafone, Booz & Company and Capital One. He replaces Ken Smithard, who retired earlier this year.
Ian Spencer has joined the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA) as Manager of Contracts. Based in Whitby, ON, Spencer will support Lori Rosenberg, CCSA’s VP of Contracts, in negotiating CCSA master programming agreements, among other duties. He replaces Debbie Randon, who retires in July after 20 years with the organization. Spencer was most recently Manager, Television and News Distribution at CBC/Radio-Canada and prior to that held various content sales and marketing roles with Bell and Rogers.
Lorna Dueck is retiring after 35 years in broadcasting. Dueck started her career in 1977 as a reporter with Golden West Radio’s stations in Southern Manitoba. She went on to land her first TV job at CKX Brandon before moving to Ontario in the early 1990s where she joined Crossroads Christian Communications. Best known for her time hosting 100 Huntley Street, for the past four years she’s served in the role of CEO of Crossroads in addition to hosting Context with Lorna Dueck on YES TV.
Rod McDonald has retired after 45 years in radio and the last 10 as Agriculture Director at Harvard Broadcasting’s GX94 (CJGX-AM) Yorkton. McDonald started in radio in his hometown of Lethbridge in 1972. His career took him to Langley, BC; Edson and Fort McMurray, AB; Swift Current, Regina, and Rosetown, SK; Winnipeg and Thunder Bay. Along the way, he also spent three years as Executive Director of the United Way in Fort McMurray.
Farhan Mohamed is stepping down as Editor-in-Chief of Daily Hive, the online publication he co-founded eight years ago. Darcy Matheson, Daily Hive’s Vancouver City Editor and the former Head of Digital at CTV Vancouver, will take over the Editor-in-Chief role. Matheson is currently on maternity leave and will return full-time this fall.
Willow Fiddler is The Globe and Mail’s new Thunder Bay bureau chief with her coverage focusing on Northern Ontario and Manitoba, particularly Indigenous issues. Fiddler, who hails from the Sandy Lake First Nation, has been a VJ with APTN, based in Thunder Bay, for the last four years.
Claire Allen is moving on from CKNW Vancouver after eight years. The lead producer on the Simi Sara Show for most of that time, Allen has been in a producer/contributor role since Jan. 2019 that included helping develop and execute national projects for Corus.
Ainslie MacLellan is returning to the host’s chair on CBC Radio Montreal weekend morning show, All in a Weekend. She replaces Sonali Karnick, who is on maternity leave. MacLellan was most recently filling in for Mike Finnerty as host of Daybreak.
Divya Gill has joined CFTK-TV Terrace, BC as a news reporter, based in Prince Rupert. Gill, who hails from Caledon, ON, is a recent graduate of the College of Sports Media in Toronto.
Todd Shapiro has joined the Board of Directors of Toronto’s Datametrex AI Limited. The former Dean Blundell sidekick who was most recently heard on SiriusXM’s Canada Laughs channel, has stepped away from media to concentrate on being CEO of psychedelic truffle purveyor Red Light Holland. Shapiro also sits on the boards of JamStacked and Mogul Productions.
Dennis Wharton, executive vice-president of communications for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), has announced his retirement effective July 1. A 24-year veteran of NAB and the organization’s longest serving spokesperson, Wharton will continue to serve in an advisory capacity.
Bruce Williams has been named the incoming CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, effective June 15. Williams, a former CTV/The New VI/CFAX Victoria host and producer, has been co-owner of communications firm Spark Strategic Group since 2017 and serving as interim CEO of the South Island Prosperity Partnership. He takes over from Catherine Holt.
