Beverly Thomson, the veteran Canadian broadcaster who helped define morning television for a generation of viewers, died Sunday at 61 after a long battle with cancer, according to news reports. CTV said she passed surrounded by family.
Thomson became a national name in 2003 when she joined CTV’s Canada AM, where she co-hosted until the program signed off in 2016. She later anchored on CTV News Channel, remaining a steady on-air presence well into recent years.
A Toronto native, Thomson started in radio before moving to television, rising through the ranks at CTV Toronto and Global News.
At Global, she anchored the early evening newscasts from 1997 to 2003, sharpening the agile interview style that would become her hallmark on national TV.
A career that shaped morning television
Viewers came to know Thomson for clear, concise interviews with political leaders, industry executives, and artists.
She favored direct questions and quick pivots, a style that suited a fast-moving morning format and translated seamlessly to breaking-news coverage on cable.
Colleagues often pointed to her preparation and calm on set, qualities that kept complicated stories accessible to a broad audience.
In 2006, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television honored Thomson with the Gemini Humanitarian Award for her public advocacy, including work tied to breast cancer awareness.
In 2019, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for contributions to broadcasting and community service, an investiture completed in 2022.
Thomson’s on-air authority drew from years of beat reporting and field work.
She covered federal campaigns and provincial politics, anchored through market shocks and public health crises, and was adept at switching from policy-heavy conversations to human-interest stories.
The range made her a reliable guide on mornings when Canadians needed context more than spectacle. Away from the desk, Thomson devoted time to health charities and patient advocacy.
CTV has previously credited her as an ambassador and spokesperson for breast cancer organizations, citing her public outreach and fundraising.
That work earned additional recognition within the charitable sector, reflecting a belief that media visibility carried a responsibility to the community.
Her professional arc also traced the upheaval inside Canadian media. Thomson’s career spanned consolidation, newsroom cuts, and the shift from national morning shows to a patchwork of local formats and digital programming.
Through that churn, she remained a familiar figure whose interviews often set the day’s agenda, especially in election seasons when policy debate collided with retail politics.
Thomson’s passing leaves a notable gap in Canadian broadcasting. She was part of a cohort of anchors who bridged eras, from appointment TV to streaming clips and social feeds.
That longevity mattered to audiences who value continuity in a fragmented news environment.
It also mattered to younger journalists who saw in Thomson a model for how to do the job with rigor and warmth.
Details about memorial arrangements had not been announced at the time of publication. What is clear is the imprint Thomson leaves on viewers and on a business still adjusting to new habits.
For many Canadians, the morning news was once a ritual built around a few trusted voices. Beverly Thomson was one of them.
