Christie Marie Blatchford (May 20, 1951 – February 12, 2020) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
newspaper columnist
A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the form of a short essay ...
, journalist and broadcaster. She published four non-fiction books.
Blatchford was Canada's first female sports columnist, reporting on sports between 1975 and 1977. In her 48-year career she worked for all four Toronto-based newspapers, winning the 1999
National Newspaper Award The National Newspaper Awards (french: link=no, Concours canadien de journalisme) are prizes awarded annually for the best work in Canadian newspapers.
Synopsis
The awards were first given in 1949 by the Toronto Press Club, which ran the awards un ...
for column writing. She was inducted into the
Canadian News Hall of Fame Founded by the Toronto Press Club (now known as the Toronto Press and Media Club) in 1965, the Canadian News Hall of Fame honours more than 100 men and women who have made significant contributions to journalism in Canada.
Nominations for inductio ...
in 2019. Her book ''Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army'' also won the 2008
Governor General's Literary Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields.
The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...
in Non-fiction.
Early years and family
Blatchford was born in
Rouyn-Noranda
Rouyn-Noranda ( 2021 population 42,313) is a city on Osisko Lake in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada.
The city of Rouyn-Noranda is a coextensive with a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) and census ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, the daughter of Kathleen and Ross Blatchford. Her father, who was in the
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, managed a hockey arena in Noranda. When Blatchford was in grade 11, the family moved to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
when her father became manager of the North Toronto Memorial Arena.
She attended
North Toronto Collegiate Institute
North Toronto Collegiate Institute (North Toronto CI, NTCI, NT, or North Toronto) is a non-semestered, public high school institution with over 1,200 students located in North Toronto area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is operated an ...
, graduating in 1970. She then studied journalism at
Ryerson University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
, and worked for the student paper ''
The Ryersonian
''On The Record'' (formerly ''The Ryersonian'') is the masthead news title produced by journalism students at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Canada. Students produce daily news for the publication's website, live-blog local events rel ...
''.
Her nephew is sports reporter Andy Blatchford.
Blatchford had a number of journalists in her family. Her grandfather, Andy Lytle was a sports writer and editor for the ''
Vancouver Sun
The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...
'' in the 1920s and again in the 1950s and a sports editor at the ''
Toronto Daily Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and par ...
'' in the 1930s and 1940s. Her uncle, Tommy Lytle, was a ''Toronto Star'' editor until his retirement in 1974.
Career
Blatchford began working part-time for ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' in 1972, while still studying journalism at
Ryerson where she graduated at the top of her class. She was hired full-time by the ''Globe'' in 1973, working as a general assignment reporter and then as a sports columnist at the paper from 1975 until 1977; she was billed as Canada's first female sports columnist and was at the time one of only six female sports reporters in North America.
In fact her first column "focused on
Bobby Hull
Robert Marvin Hull OC (born January 3, 1939) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blonde hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot the puck at very high veloc ...
’s refusal to play in a
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
game".
In it, she said: "It's the only game in the world we play as good as anyone else. But if we aren't careful, the people who make the decisions are going to take the guts and hardness out of hockey and they will do it because they think it is what we want."
Displeased when a ''Globe'' column was edited against her wishes, she then abruptly jumped to the competing ''
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', where she worked as a feature writer from 1977 to 1982, and began covering criminal trials in 1978, a beat she would return to throughout her career.
Looking to transition from a news reporter to a columnist, she proposed a light humour column to the ''
Toronto Sun
The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...
'' in 1982, chronicling her new relationship with a younger boyfriend, as well as her interactions with other friends and family.
The ''Sun'' agreed to the proposal, although at a pay cut from her rate at the Star. Her column was originally in the paper's lifestyle section but moved to the high-profile page 5 feature column space previously occupied by
Paul Rimstead
Paul Rimstead (1935 – 26 May 1987), born Andrew Paul Rimstad in Sudbury, Ontario, was a featured page 5 columnist for the Toronto Sun and sports writer.
Life and career
Born in Sudbury, Ontario, the "Rimmer" was described by peers as "legendary ...
, following his death in 1987. Blatchford remained at the ''Sun'' for 16 years, eventually transitioning back into news reporting and harder news features, by the late 1990s, notably covering high-profile trials such as those of
Paul Bernardo
Paul Kenneth Bernardo (born August 27, 1964), also known as The Scarborough Rapist and The Schoolgirl Killer, is a Canadian serial killer and serial rapist. He is known for initially committing a series of rapes in Scarborough, Ontario, a sub ...
and
Karla Homolka
Karla Leanne Homolka (born May 4, 1970), also known as Karla Leanne Teale, Leanne Teale, and Leanne Bordelais, is a Canadian serial killer who acted as an accomplice to her husband, Paul Bernardo, taking active part in the actual rapes and murde ...
.
In 1998, Blatchford moved to the newly launched ''
National Post
The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
''. In 1999, she received the
National Newspaper Award The National Newspaper Awards (french: link=no, Concours canadien de journalisme) are prizes awarded annually for the best work in Canadian newspapers.
Synopsis
The awards were first given in 1949 by the Toronto Press Club, which ran the awards un ...
for column writing. She left the ''Post'' to return to ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' in 2003, working as a columnist there for eight years.
During four trips to Afghanistan in 2006–07, she reported on the
experiences of Canadian soldiers. Based on these experiences, she wrote the book ''Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army''. The book went on to garner the 2008
Governor General's Literary Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields.
The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...
in Non-fiction.
She returned once again to the ''
National Post
The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
'' in 2011 and would remain there for the rest of her career.
[(June 1, 2011).]
News veteran Christie Blatchford joins Postmedia
, CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...
. Retrieved August 24, 2011. She was also a frequent panelist, commentator, contributor and guest on
CFRB
CFRB (1010 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is owned by Bell Media and carries a News/Talk radio format. Its studios and offices are in the Entertainment District at 250 Richmond Street West.
CFRB is a clea ...
radio for several decades.
Blatchford's book ''Helpless: Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us'', concerning the
Grand River land dispute
The Grand River land dispute, also known as the Caledonia land dispute, is an ongoing dispute between the Six Nations of the Grand River and the Government of Canada. It is focussed on lands along the length of the Grand River in Ontario known a ...
, led to some controversy including several members of the student body of the
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality ...
protesting her speaking engagement and leading to its being cancelled on grounds of security.
In an article in the ''
National Post
The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
'' online on August 22, 2011, she criticized the outpouring of support resulting from the death of
federal NDP Leader and the
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...
's
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
Jack Layton
John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on To ...
, calling it "a public spectacle", and referring to Layton's "
canonization
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...
". This caused an outcry toward Blatchford herself. Blatchford's commentary on the 2013
suicide of Rehtaeh Parsons also led to Parsons' father accusing Blatchford of
victim blaming
Victim blaming occurs when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially at fault for the harm that befell them. There is historical and current prejudice against the victims of domestic violence and sex crimes, such as ...
.
In June 2018, Blatchford said of a press subsidy: "God forbid Ottawa should start to subsidize newspapers too. As a journalist, the thought gives me the shudders."
Illness and death
After having to cut short her assignment covering the
2019 federal election campaign due to nagging muscle pain, Blatchford was diagnosed in November 2019 with
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
which was found to have metastasized to bones in the spine and hip by the time it was detected. Blatchford was inducted into the
Canadian News Hall of Fame Founded by the Toronto Press Club (now known as the Toronto Press and Media Club) in 1965, the Canadian News Hall of Fame honours more than 100 men and women who have made significant contributions to journalism in Canada.
Nominations for inductio ...
the same month, but was unable to attend the ceremony.
She took leave from writing her column and sought treatment at
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (previously, ''Princess Margaret Hospital'') is a scientific research centre and a teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, affiliated with the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine as part of the Univ ...
where she underwent several months of surgeries, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
She died in Toronto on February 12, 2020.
Bibliography
Non-fiction
Humour
In the 1980s, Blatchford published two collections of her humour-oriented Toronto Sun columns.
*''Spectator Sports'' (1986)
*''Close Encounters'' (1988)
Reportage
Beginning in 2007, Blatchford began publishing book-length non-fiction reportage.
*''Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army'' (2007)
*''The Black Hand: The Bloody Rise and Redemption of "Boxer" Enriquez, a Mexican Mob Killer'' (2008)
*''Helpless: Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us'' (2010)
*''Life Sentence: Stories From Four Decades of Court Reporting - Or, How I Fell Out of Love with the Canadian Justice System'' (2016)
See also
*
List of newspaper columnists
This is a list of notable newspaper columnists. It does not include magazine or electronic columnists.
English-language
Australia
* Phillip Adams (born 1939), ''The Australian''
* Piers Akerman (born 1950), ''The Daily Telegraph''
* Janet Al ...
References
External links
Blatchford interviewon ''
The Hour'' with
George Stroumboulopoulos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blatchford, Christie
1951 births
2020 deaths
Canadian memoirists
Hockey writers
People from Rouyn-Noranda
Anglophone Quebec people
Toronto Metropolitan University alumni
Canadian monarchists
Toronto Star people
Toronto Sun people
The Globe and Mail columnists
Canadian columnists
Governor General's Award-winning non-fiction writers
National Post people
Canadian women memoirists
Canadian women columnists
Canadian radio reporters and correspondents
Canadian war correspondents
War correspondents of the Yugoslav Wars
War correspondents of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Women war correspondents
Canadian women sportswriters
Crime journalists
Deaths from lung cancer in Ontario
Canadian women radio journalists