Thomson’s 30-year career as a journalist started in radio news in Newmarket, ON and 680 CFTR, before she arrived at CFTO Toronto as a reporter and weekend anchor. From there, she moved over to Global News Toronto as the weeknight, supper-hour anchor from 1997 to 2003. It was that year, that she received her initial breast cancer diagnosis, which she covered in the documentary, Where There Is No Fear, becoming an official spokesperson for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Thomson returned to CTV in late 2003 as host of Canada AM, while still undergoing chemotherapy. After a 13-run year with the morning show, she landed on the anchor desk at CTV News Channel in 2016, following Canada AM’s cancellation.

“People would ask us all the time if Beverly Thomson was as nice off-camera as she was on Canada AM. Well, she was. She was also a total pro, a committed and passionate journalist who persevered at work and in life,” wrote former Canada AM colleagues Jeff Hutcheson, Marci Ien and Seamus O’Regan, in a statement posted to social media. “She could scrap with politicians and give as good as she got. She always read the book and did the research. But she led, first and foremost, with empathy. Many of the guests we’d have on were ordinary Canadians telling their stories. She’d comfort them before the camera came on, she’d listen to their every word, she’d hold their hand during the commercial break. She would get the most extraordinary interviews, and she’s never betray their trust.”

Thomson continued to fight cancer off and on, with the disease recurring seven years into her time with Canada AM.

In 2019, Thomson was named a Member of the Order of Canada. She received Seneca College’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000 and the Ontario Premier’s Award for Creative Arts & Design in 2003. She was the 2006 recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the Gemini Awards (now Canadian Screen Awards). In 2009, she was appointed by the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, as the National Ambassador for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. In 2024, she was recognized with an RTDNA National Lifetime Achievement Award.

Among other charitable endeavours, Thomson lent her time to the Seneca College Broadcast Communications Advisory Board, the Hospital for Sick Children, Children’s Aid, and Charles H. Best Diabetes Foundation.

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Jarvis will anchor weekdays, beginning at 3 p.m. ET, in addition to helming an all-new weekday program wrapping up the day’s biggest stories at 6 p.m. ET on CTV News Channel.

“Carolyn Jarvis is an award-winning, veteran journalist who is deeply trusted by viewers across the country,” added Richard Gray, VP News, Bell Media, in a network announcement. “Carolyn’s years of experience telling Canadian stories make her a valuable addition to CTV News Channel, one that will bolster the network’s commitment to deliver up-to-the-minute news updates and context on the biggest stories.”

“News today has to be immediate, accurate and insightful,” added Jarvis. “I’m honoured to be joining CTV News Channel, where we will help inform and enlighten Canadians with stories that reflect their communities, delivered on any platform.”

Jarvis has served as Global News’ Chief Investigative Correspondent for the last nine years and been with Global since 2005, initially joining Global Edmonton as a weekend anchor and reporter. From there, she joined Global National, based in Vancouver, in 2008, going on to serve as Chief Correspondent and host of national current affairs show, 16×9. Earlier in her career, Jarvis spent time as a weather presenter at The Weather Network and a reporter/anchor at RDTV in Red Deer.

She has been recognized with numerous accolades for her work, including the Canadian Journalism Foundation’s CJF Jackman Award for Excellence for The New Reality: The Business of Indigenous Kids in Care, an investigation into the treatment of Indigenous youth in the child-welfare system; the Canadian Screen Award for Best National Reporter in 2018; and multiple RTDNA and New York Festivals Awards, in addition to recognition from the Sidney Hillman Foundation.

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The Short-Term Compensation Fund for Canadian Audiovisual Productions (STCF) will open for applications Oct. 30. The temporary federal measure is aimed at minimizing the consequences of the lack of insurance coverage for film and audiovisual productions either interrupted or abandoned due to COVID-19. Through the fund, Telefilm will indemnify eligible producers for Canadian production costs directly caused by an interruption of more than one day in filming or the producer’s abandonment of the production prior to the end of filming due to a confirmed diagnosis of an actor or director declared on the insurance policy covering the project, or any confirmed outbreak on set that requires a complete production shutdown. Details and criteria for the application process are now online.

The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) has announced the winners of the 2020 DGC Awards. Among those recognized were Vincenzo Natali, who picked up Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Tall Grass. Michelle Latimer won the Allan King Award for Excellence in Documentary for Inconvenient Indian, while the DGC Discovery Award went to Tracey Deer for Beans. Holly Dale took the Oustanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series category for her work on the pilot for Transplant, while Daniel Levy and Andrew Cividino were recognized in the Comedy category for directing the finale of Schitt’s Creek. Find the complete list of winners here.

The 2020 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival has announced this year’s award winners. Among those recognized were actor Lorne Cardinal, who received this year’s August Schellenberg Award of Excellence. The Sun Jury Award was presented to Objibwe director Evelyn Pakinewatik for her short film Mooz Miikan, while Best Dramatic Feature went to New Zealand’s Kiel McNaughton for The Legend of Baron To’a.

The Vancouver Economic Commission’s (VEC) annual film industry report says the B.C. film, television, visual effects and animation industry broke new records in 2019, spending more than $4.1 billion. Of that, more than $3.1 billion was spent on physical production alone, with the remainder accounted for by the sheer volume of post-production and animation activity largely centered in Vancouver. VEC says the industry’s job-creating power has grown steadily over the years with spending in B.C. tripling over the last eight years.

Corus Entertainment has signed a development agreement with Duncan Studio, an L.A. based independent animation company, to produce original animated feature films for the global market. Under the terms of the agreement, Corus’ Nelvana will invest in the development of new content created by Duncan’s in-house production division Duncan Originals as well as from Nelvana’s library of children’s IP, and select third party properties. The first title to be developed is Mother Nature, a character-driven, action-adventure feature created by Duncan Studio founder Ken Duncan. The CG-animated sci-fi fantasy is set in a futuristic society and explores its relationship to the natural world.

Titmouse Vancouver animation workers have voted 98% in favour of unionizing. The move represents the first time an animation studio in Canada has unionized, according to IATSE local 938. Among the studio’s animated titles are Star Trek: Lower Decks for CBS All Access and Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures for Disney XD. Titmouse also has studios in New York and Los Angeles. 

CTV, Project 10 Productions, and SEVEN24 Films have announced that CTV Original comedy JANN has been acquired by streaming platform Hulu. The deal sees Hulu secure exclusive U.S. rights for the first two seasons of the Canadian Screen Award-nominated series. The first season, consisting of six episodes, and the eight-episode second season of JANN will start streaming in the U.S. early next year.

Bell Media says its original drama Transplant has been embraced by U.S. viewers since its Sept. 1 launch on NBC. Currently averaging 5.2 million total viewers per episode, according to Nielsen data supplied by Bell, Transplant is currently the most-watched scripted series (comedy or drama) on broadcast television in the U.S. According to Nielsen data, the Oct. 6 episode delivered the biggest viewership lift yet with an additional 2.065 million viewers. Encore episodes of Transplant continue Tuesday, Nov. 10 on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app.

CTV News Channel is once again on a nationwide free preview through the end of November. The network says the preview comes on the heels of the channel’s most-watched broadcast year on record, according to Numeris data supplied by Bell Media. The freeview is available through participating television service providers including Bell, Bell Aliant, BellMTS, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, SaskTel, and participating members of the CCSA.

Rogers customers can now access Amazon Music directly through Ignite TV, in addition to the Amazon Prime Video app. Building on its suite of applications available on Ignite TV, Rogers is the first telecom in Canada to integrate Amazon Music onto its platform. To access either Amazon Music Unlimited or Prime Music, customers need an active membership to Amazon Music Unlimited or a Prime membership. 

TELUS has signed an agreement with mental fitness app Calm to bring sleep, meditation and relaxation content into the homes of Optik TV and Pik TV customers. The collaboration is a first for Calm. Free to Optik and Pik TV subscribers, content includes guided meditations, breathing exercises, as well as Calm’s Sleep Stories.

Women in Film & Television Vancouver (WIFTV), in association with the Whistler Film Festival (WFF) has announced Sophie Kokott as the recipient of the 2020 WIFTV Whistler Film Festival Film Market Preparation Mentorship Program. Based in Saskatoon, Kokott was recognized for her project Butter as one of the co-founders of Floor Thirteen Films. She’ll receive industry immersion at the Whistler Film Festival, as well as personalized coaching sessions with this year’s producer/mentor, Tina Pehme, Creative Partner, Sepia Films, and co-founder of Honalee Entertainment.

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