Sinclair Foundation board marks the passing of Connie Sinclair

The passing of CBC broadcaster Connie Sinclair was marked by the members of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation at their annual board meeting, a gathering that she attended many times over the years. 

Connie Sinclair passed away on Feb. 2 after an ongoing battle with cancer. She was a former newsreader at CBC Radio, in Toronto, but also a third-generation broadcaster. She was the daughter of former CJAD Montreal news director Gord Sinclair Jr. Her grandfather Gordon Sinclair, the legendary journalist, CFRB host and “Front Page Challenge” mainstay, is the namesake of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation. 

Connie was invited many years ago to join the board of directors of the Gordon Sinclair Foundation, which was established in 1986 after friends of her grandfather created a university scholarship for recent journalism graduates to honour his memory. The stated purpose of the original award was to encourage a recent journalism graduate to embark on another year of study that would enrich them as journalists. The award was presented 22 times in the years that followed.

In 2011, the foundation decided to review its mandate and examine the contribution the annual award was making to journalism. A decision was made to revamp the annual competition to make it more relevant to young journalists – a decision strongly supported at the time by Connie Sinclair. The Foundation decided to use the endowment to create the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary, to support a research and reporting trip by an early career Canadian journalist who has recently graduated from one of Canada’s university-level journalism programs.

Each year, the winner of the bursary was introduced at the annual meeting of the board and Connie was always glad to meet the next journalist who was about to head off on an exciting adventure thanks to the foundation named for her grandfather, the legendary broadcaster. 

“I remember how great it was to have her there on the board, when she would regale us with stories of Gordon Sinclair,” said Allan Thompson, president of the foundation. “It is very sad not to have Connie around the table with us. She was a great person, a terrific journalist and provided a connection to the Sinclair family.” 

Sinclair began her career in radio, as an anchor at NewTalk 1010 and later as the afternoon newsreader for CBC Radio in Toronto. She is survived by her husband, two children, three grandchildren and two sisters.

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