we were working 16 hour shifts at CFRA. I was feeling pretty exhausted and desperate but at the same time the people we were covering were in much worse shape. You wanted to do their stories justice because you were feeling the impact yourself. Also, pre-internet days, we functioned as a coordination service of sorts. Helping connect those who had a generator to spare or wood to burn with those who didn’t made us feel like a vital link for the community. Some years back I had a chance to visit Bosnia and report on the job of the Canadian peacekeepers. I was extremely impressed with the work that they did. They were all spending months away from their families and working through sometimes very difficult conditions. The willingness of the people of Bosnia to share their stories (and coffee) was amazing. The conditions in a Bosnian run refugee camp filled with people fleeing Kosovo was eye-opening.
Patricia Boal CTV News Anchor
What first sparked your interest in journalism? I went to McGill and took English Literature with a plan to move on to law school from there. While at McGill, I thought I would give the school newspaper a try. Writing for the McGill Tribune allowed me a free pass to check out different aspects of university life I never would have pursued on my own, and I loved it. My favourite was writing about visiting authors such as Rohinton Mistry and Robertson Davies. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was reviewing movies because I felt it spoiled my time in the theatre because I was thinking ahead to the negative things I’d need to write down in a short while. And it’s tough to eat popcorn when you’re taking notes. What is your favourite part of working for CTV? It’s wonderful to have regular co-workers again after years of working as a beat reporter, isolated from headquarters in Toronto (The Score). Doing freelance work, which I did for a few years after my third child was born, provided incredible freedom and a myriad of interesting experiences but doesn’t allow you to feel a part of something the same way. There has been a lot of change at CTV Ottawa which has been tough for many, but there is also great vision for the future. This is a station that wants to continue to be an integral part of the community and provide a vital service. I am proud of the way we are able to be entertaining and informative. Our 6 o’clock news show is a very complete package. It comes down to an excellent team working incredibly hard, and not always with the resources that were available in the heyday of broadcasting. I am proud to be a part of this group. What are your favourite kinds of stories to report on? The federal referendum vote in 1995 and the Great Ice Storm of 1998 were big. More recently we’ve had some tough stories to tell in Ottawa: the bus/train crash and its impact on so many families, and of course the lockdown in our city following the shooting at the War Memorial and the breach on Parliament Hill. Those can be tough, but also very rewarding to be part of a team that handles those stories well, and I believe serves the community at the same time. On the sports side, love a playoff run, and the way stories develop and build through a series. Is there one in particular that has really had an impact on you? I would pick two: 1) living through the Ice Storm here in ’98; & 2) visiting Bosnia and reporting on Canadian peacekeepers. During the Ice Storm, I had a newborn at home and no power or phone service. My husband was on the road with the Senators and
March is Women’s History Month, who are some of the women who have inspired you the most? My mom. Her birthday happens to be on International Women’s Day, March 8th. She is a quiet hero in my life. She had an interesting upbringing. She was the daughter of missionary parents and was born and grew up in Angola, Africa. She had trouble adjusting to the cold climate and the somewhat closed off Canadians when she first moved here as an older teenager. She has grown to love it. She trained as a nurse but like so many of her generation gave that up after her second child was born. She was diagnosed with lupus a short time after her third came along and struggled with some very debilitating effects of that disease. A medication prescribed for her lupus ended up eating away at her eyesight and she has been legally blind since I was in high school. Despite her own struggles, she has always had a positive attitude and been my constant sounding board and my biggest cheerleader. She and my dad have a strong Christian faith that has been a reassuring force in all our lives. When I was young and ambitious, I sometimes resented that my mom had given up her career. Now I understand everything that I gained from her availability and presence in our home and in my life. She is a wonderful mom and I strive everyday to be half of what she was to me for my children. What are the most important life lessons that you hope your own daughters learn? I hope they learn to deal with disappointment because our instinct as parents is to coddle. They need to learn to stand on their own two feet. Go after their goals, but understand that getting knocked down is a regular part of life. Phone your mom for encouragement and then get back up! I hope they remember to give back. We are incredibly fortunate to be born here and have the advantages we do. I already see them learning that lesson. And I want them to have fun. No one can make me laugh like my kids do. I hope they keep laughing. And did I mention call home often? You are a board member for STRIDE Assistance for the Disabled, and you and your daughter volunteer for the Ottawa Mission as well. Is that something you enjoy doing together? My daughter started volunteering at the Mission regularly after doing a charity dinner there with me. For two years we would hide our pride, and grumble about driving her downtown on a weekly basis, but it was wonderful to see what an essential part of her weekly routine that became. On February 21st we did the Coldest Night of the Year walk together for the Mission. Fortunately it wasn’t actually the coldest night of the year! STRIDE is an organization started by Mary McDowell, a wonderful family friend. I have been involved on some level since she convinced me to model a scuba suit as a teenager for a charity fashion show. My retired father does deliveries each week and works in STRIDE’s wheelchair recycling depot. I think the desire to be involved in charity has really been instilled by my family. I recently had the pleasure of emceeing the Snowflake Gala at the Hilton Lac Leamy to raise money for CHEO and Screen Colons Canada. @PatriciaBoalCTV
73 | March 2015