Suhana Meharchand

Suhana Meharchand (born 22 April 1962) is a CBC News Network anchor and host of CBC News Now from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on weekdays.

Early life

Born in Durban, South Africa, and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Meharchand is a graduate of broadcast journalism from Toronto's Ryerson University. She was inspired by an uncle who ran an underground (underground because of apartheid, see History of South Africa in the apartheid era) newspaper in her native South Africa. She immigrated to Canada in 1968.

Career

Meharchand's first jobs as a journalist were at CHCH-TV, a TV station in Hamilton, Ontario and at CBET in Windsor, Ontario. She would then move to Ottawa where she spent three years as a general reporter and weekend anchor at CJOH-TV, a CTV affiliate.

From September 1987 to July 1989, Meharchand was host and producer of What's New, CBC-TV's national news and current affairs program for young people.

Meharchand's next assignment was anchor of the Saturday Evening News broadcast of Toronto, London, and Windsor viewers.

In September 1995, she was appointed anchor of the CBC's regional newscast on CBLT in Toronto. Meharchand replaced Bill Cameron who had moved to Halifax to anchor the CBC Newsworld's morning telecast. This assignment would last for five years, ending in September 2000 when CBC announced that the CBC Evening news would be going off the air. Poor ratings and cost cutting (plans by CBC were to cut 639 jobs). Meharchand would survive the cuts and move on to read the 11 PM newscast.

Meharchand has received two Gemini Award nominations for her work and has won several international awards for documentary work, including awards from the Columbus International Film & Video Festival and the New York Film and TV Festival. She is the recipient of a Paul Harris Fellowship awarded by Rotary International and an Honorary Member of the Canadian Women's Foundation. Her many community activities are with Performers for Literacy, Gems of Hope, Redwood Shelter for Women and Children, Canadian Paraplegic Association, The Hospital for Sick Children and Princess Margaret Breast Cancer Centre, to name a few.

Personal life

She was formerly engaged to former Citytv political journalist and Toronto City Councillor Adam Vaughan. In an interview for the Toronto Star, she commented on their relationship, saying "he gave too many answers but did not ask enough questions". They have a daughter, Mimi. Prior to that, Suhana was married to Ron Clarkin. They had two children, Mariah and Acton.

References

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