We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of our colleague and friend, Lorne Saxberg, who died on the weekend in a snorkeling accident in Thailand.

Click here to view condolences from Lorne’s colleagues.

Lorne was a broadcaster and long-time union activist at the CBC who served all of the unions he belonged to there ? NABET, CUPE and the Guild.

At the time of his death, Lorne was on an exchange at NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster. He recently won the prestigious Edward R. Murrow award for a documentary he made at NHK about the nuclear attack on Hiroshima at the end of the second World War.

In the years before he left for Japan, Lorne fought to have CBC announcers recognized for their journalistic skills, and not only for their presentation skills. In the 1990s, he helped the Guild protect the rights of people the Corporation had laid off after the cuts that afflicted the CBC.

“Lorne understood the need to stand up for his profession and his colleagues and against certain management directions,” said Lise Lareau, national president of the CMG and a former colleague at CBC in Toronto. “He was brave. He was persistent. He was a true professional. More than that, he was a wonderful human being who had time for everyone.”

The Guild is collecting condolences from Lorne’s colleagues and will post them on our website and deliver them to his family. Send messages of condolence to Karen Wirsig at karen@cmg.ca.