New CTV National News anchor got start in northern Ontario
Following Monday's shocking news about long-time CTV National News Anchor Lisa LaFlamme's departure, CTV Northern Ontario speaks to the man who will be taking over her role.
The news about LaFlamme's abrupt exit was released in a video on Twitter, followed by a statement from the company saying it is taking the show and the role in a "different direction."
Her replacement, Omar Sachedina, was announced shortly after.
Sachedina is a veteran correspondent who got his start in broadcasting at CTV News in Timmins.
He is familiar with the chief anchor role after filling in often.
Sachedina spoke to CTV News at 6 Anchor Brendan Connor from San Francisco in a live video interview Monday night about his reaction to the change.
"What I can tell you is that commitment to quality journalism is something that's not going to change," he said.
"And one of the things that I look forward to every day is our afternoon editorial call. There is a free exchange of ideas and I just mentioned the dynamic and the exceptional intelligent team that we have and each of those people brings a certain perspective to the table. And what I most admire is that sometimes those discussions can be animated, they can be passionate, but that's the way it should be. People should be able to speak with conviction for the stories that matter to them and that's certainly something that's going to continue."
Sachedina begins his new role Sept. 5.
LaFlamme spent more than 30 years with CTV News, the last 11 as the chief anchor and senior editor of the national news.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
NDP want Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Largest vaccine production plant in Canada opens in Toronto
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing the opening of a major vaccine production plant in Toronto today — part of Canada's efforts to build up the domestic biomanufacturing sector in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These are the world's 20 best cities for foodies, according to Time Out
Some travellers pick a city break based on the destination’s cultural offerings. Others eye up cities with buzzy nightlife or opt for a destination hosting a festival or event. But for many vacationers, the most exciting part of any trip is the food.
Video shows driver in Toronto frantically getting out of car being pushed by truck
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
Israeli centrist party proposes vote to dissolve parliament
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz's centrist party proposed on Thursday holding a parliamentary vote on dissolving the parliament, but it was unclear whether he had enough support to bring about an early election.
Exorbitant fees get Gazans out with no help from Ottawa
The comforting sound of giggling grandchildren has chased away the cloud of anxiety that has loomed over Mohammed and Intisar Nofal's home for the past seven months.
BMO services restored following outage from data centre fire alarm, the bank says
Bank of Montreal clients saw services restored Thursday morning after an overnight, false fire alarm caused outages, the bank says.