A group of current and former CBC employees is organizing a memorial to celebrate the life and career of Eddie Vaar, a cameraman who is being credited with teaching generations of journalists the ropes of the news business over a 50-year career with the Corporation. He died January 18th from cancer.  He was 88 years old.

The memorial is Sunday, April 6 at 2 p.m at the Esto House in Toronto, 958 Broadview Avenue, north of the Danforth and south of Pottery Rd/ Mortimer. It’s a five-minute walk or a short bus ride north from the TTC’s Broadview subway station (Google map link).

Eddie was a proud native of Estonia.

Eddie worked as a freelance cameraman through his decades of monitoring the police scanner and being on the scene for countless murder investigations, fires and in 1966, the fatal crash of a U.S. Blue Angels acrobatic plane at the CNE in Toronto — which he was positioned to shoot because he noticed how close the plane came to the ground the day before.    

A trust fund has been set up for Yvonne Vaar, Eddie’s widow.   “Eddie died without a pension or other financial support despite working in the field — mostly for the CBC — for five decades.  His life serves as a reminder of the need for change to the way freelancers are compensated in our business,” says Lise Lareau, national vice-president of the Canadian Media Guild.

Donations to the fund can be made by going to any CIBC branch.  The fund is in Yvonne Vaar’s name, transit #00832, institution 010, account  #84-68990.

“We look forward to reuniting many of Eddie’s former colleagues next Sunday to celebrate the life and career of a one-of-a-kind news cameraman and friend to many of us,” says Lareau.  Anyone who knew Eddie is welcome at the event.  Please contact Lise at lise@cmg.ca for further information.