Claire Martin (meteorologist)

Claire Martin
Claire Martin (right) after a promotional event, with Tom Harrington
Occupation	weather presenter

Claire Martin was a national television weather presenter with CBC Television in Canada. She is a niece of Barbara Edwards, who in 1974 became the BBC's first female weather presenter in the UK.

Childhood

As a child, Claire appeared in the video for Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" but did not sing.^[1]

Education and career

UK

Before emigrating to Canada, Martin worked for the UK Met Office as a forecaster, responsible for SW England. She received a Higher National Certificate with distinction in Mathematics, Statistics and Physics from University of Reading in the United Kingdom while on day release from her job. She was later transferred to the Central Forecast Office in Bracknell, UK^[2]

Canada

She moved to Canada in July 1990 and worked in a support position for Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) including positions as weather observer in Lethbridge, Alberta, and Fort Resolution, Northwest Territories. She attended the University of Alberta in Edmonton from 1993 until 1995, completing her Bachelor of Science with specialization in Meteorology. She worked on the "media bench" for Environment Canada's Northern Alberta Weather Centre.^[2]

She was identified as a surplus employee during the federal government cuts in 1995. Claire took a job as a staff meteorologist and weather presenter with ITV (now Global Television Edmonton) in August 1996. In 2005, she moved from Edmonton to join CBC Television's news operations in Toronto. CBC introduced nationally-televised weather features at that time for its news programs The National and Canada Now. In 2007, she moved to CBC Vancouver to host regional weather forecasts. Claire Martin was heavily involved in assisting with weather forecasts for the Vancouver Olympics in February 2010. In September 2012, the CBC senior management consolidated weather services, and moved Martin to CBC Toronto to work on the local supper-time and 10 PM national newscasts.

In February 2014, she left the CBC to move back to Vancouver and work for Anaid Productions.^[3]

Professional involvement

She became a member of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) in 1993, of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in 1994, of the International Association of Broadcast Meteorology (IABM) in 1996, of the UK Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) in 1998, and of the National Weather Association (NWA) in 1999. She was Chairman of the International Association of Broadcast Meteorology from 2007^[4] to 2011,^[5] and is currently Vice-Chairman.^[6]

Awards and recognition

The International Weather Festival awarded Claire Martin the honour of "Best Weather Presenter in the World" in 2000, 2001 and 2003. The festival was produced annually by meteorologists and broadcast weather presenters from various nations and has been supported by the World Meteorological Organization.

The Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) gave two citations to Claire Martin, one in 2011 for her excellence in producing Radio and Television Weather presentations especially hosting of two CBC Radio hour-long weather programming specials which were instrumental in educating the public in the science of meteorology and forecasting. In 2004 she received a CMOS citation for showing outstanding skills in bringing day-to-day weather and its impacts to people in a clear, simple and entertaining manner on Global TV in Edmonton AB.

Entering into Politics

Martin is now running for nomination as the Green Party of Canada candidate for the riding of North Vancouver for the upcoming 42nd Canadian federal election scheduled to occur on October 19, 2015.^[7] If her nomination is successful, Martin will challenge the seat currently held by Conservative MP Andrew Saxton.

References

Further reading

• Waldman, Deborah (Spring–Summer 1998). "Off the Beaten Path". New Trail (University of Alberta). p. 27. Retrieved 21 January 2011. 
• "Where are they now? / Claire Martin" (PDF). Science Contours (University of Alberta). Fall 2002. p. 8. Archived from the original on 27 September 2006. Retrieved 21 January 2011. 

External links

• Imagiverse interview
• Martinez, Pilar. "Edmonton Writings / Cover Story". Edmonton Public Library. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2011.