Renowned Canadian journalist Christie Blatchford was a force to be reckoned with.

Born in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, she had already started high school when her family moved to Toronto, where NTCI was her school of choice. After Grade 13, Christie studied journalism at Ryerson, and was named the leading journalism graduate.

She started at The Globe and Mail in 1973, making headlines as Canada’s first female sports reporter, and would go on to write for all four major Toronto newspapers during her exemplary career. In 1998, she was recruited to The National Post, where she remained (except for a short return to The Globe) until being diagnosed with lung cancer in November 2019.

Christie was more than a reporter and columnist. She was a regular on the CFRB 1010 radio station and authored a number of non-fiction books including Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army. Based on her experiences during a 2006 visit to Kandahar, Afghanistan, the book won the Governor General Literary Award in 2008. Other awards included a National Newspaper Award and the George Jonas Freedom Award.

Her last achievement was her induction into the Hall of Fame of Canadian Journalism in December 2019. Too ill to attend, she received her award in bed, delivered personally by Mayor John Tory.

She died in Princess Margaret Hospital surrounded by family and friends on February 12, 2020.