It’s Wednesday and we are featuring Ridleians of Distinction on the blog! Today we are profiling Catherine McDonald from the class of 1989.

Catherine McDonald came to Global Toronto in November 2000 and since then has reported on many of the biggest news stories in the GTA. Specializing in crime reporting, she has covered numerous crime stories and helped the station win two national RTNDA awards for best continuing coverage of the Jonathan story, and continuing coverage of the disappearance of Alicia Ross. McDonald’s career highlights include flying in an F-16 with the US Air Force Thunderbirds during the 2001 CNE air show, getting exclusive access onto one of four migrant ships, which landed on Vancouver Island during the summer of 2000 and covering Karla Homolka’s release from prison in the summer of 2005. She was born and raised in Edmonton, but spent three years living in Ottawa in the late 70’s while her father chaired the McDonald Commission into the RCMP. It was there, she was first exposed to the glare of media on Parliament Hill. After attending McGill University in Montréal, she returned to Edmonton where she volunteered for Shaw cable and later attended the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Radio and Television program. After a few years behind the scenes, she moved in front of the camera, spending nearly two years in Red Deer as a videographer for CTV Edmonton, before moving to CHEK TV, the Global station in Victoria. 18 months later, McDonald landed in Toronto.

To view a complete list of Ridleians of Distinction or to nominate a Ridleian of Distinction, please click here.