Paul Wentzell, 60, on Dec. 4 after a brief illness. Wentzell began his broadcasting career in 1983, anchoring news on Fredericton stations CIHI and CKHJ, before transitioning to roles behind-the-scenes. He spent many years as Sales Director with Bell Media Radio in Fredericton before moving over to Stingray’s Fredericton station group as General Sales Manager in October 2019.
Charles Officer, 48, on Dec. 1. Born in Toronto, Officer studied communication design at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD), before leaving to play professional hockey in the UK, which he later abandoned due to an injury. He worked as a creative director before being accepted into the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he studied performance. The founder of Canesugar Filmworks, his directorial debut, the short When Morning Comes, premiered at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival. Its follow up, Short Hymn Silent War, screened at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. He wrote and directed his first feature Nurse.Fighter.Boy in 2008, starring Clark Johnson (Homicide, The Wire). Premiering at TIFF, the film earned 10 Genie Nominations in 2009 and won the Audience Choice Awards at the Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival and Sarasota Film Festival. His first feature doc, Mighty Jerome, for NFB, followed the rise and fall of Canadian track and field star Harry Jerome, and won multiple awards including a 2012 Emmy Award for Best Historical Documentary. For CBC Television, Officer directed The Skin We’re In, exploring anti-black racism in Canada. He also directed multiple series episodes, including Rookie Blue (ABC), Saving Hope (NBC), Private Eyes (Ion), Ransom (CBS), 21 Thunder (Netflix), and Coroner (CBC), in addition to music videos for K’naan and DJ Green Velvet.
Dan MacDonald, 89, on Nov. 23. Originally hailing from Pictou, NS, MacDonald’s acting chops developed at the Old Vic Company in London, which he toured with throughout the UK and Middle East. He returned to Canada for roles with the Stratford Festival, CBC Radio shows, and other live theatre work. His film and television repertoire included Wind at My Back, Road to Avonlea, The Little Kidnappers, Due South, Street Legal, The Trailer Park Boys – Don’t Legalize It, and The Book of Negroes. He founded his own theatre company, Tiroam Arts, producing plays for audiences in New Brunswick, Ontario, and Alberta. MacDonald also did a brief stint in Saint John, NB as a news anchor for Irving-owned CHSJ. He was a past president of ACTRA and the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, and an active director of The Performing Arts Lodges (PAL).
Joe Stevens, 62, on Dec. 1. Stevens spent almost four decades on air at CKNL-AM Fort St John and later CJDC-AM Dawson Creek. Hired in 1983 at CKNL, he handled afternoon drive for more than 30 years and was also the rink announcer for the Fort St. John Huskies. He survived many ownership changes at CKNL as the station changed hands from Nornet to Okanagan Skeena Group, Telemedia, Standard Broadcasting, Astral and finally Bell Media. In the late 2000s, Bell transferred Stevens to CJDC-AM Dawson Creek before the company ended his employment in 2021, bringing a 38-year run in the Peace Country to an end. Stevens returned to his native New Brunswick in retirement.
