Barrie Ward (born January 30, 1949) is a Canadian broadcaster, journalist, writer and educator. In January2014, he retired from Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation where he was the Director of Corporate Research a position he held since the early 1990's - He was an employee with MBC 1986 - 2014 He worked for MBC for 28 years {save for a brief hiatus as the CEO of the Native Communications Society of the NWT}.

Ward had one of the most easily recognized voices on the Saskatchewan radio scene, He started his broadcasting career with CFQC radio in Saskatoon in 1968, where he hosted the Waxworks program at age 19 while attending the University of Saskatchewan. He worked at CFQC radio and television up to 1972, developing announcing, social, technical, writing and reporting skills.

Barrie Ward in his "Home Office"

After a brief stint as the program manager and news director of CFMC-FM Saskatoon in 1972 , he became an announcer and host at CBKST-TV, the CBC Television affiliate in Saskatoon shortly before being offered a postion with the newly formed Department of Northern Saskatchewan [DNS] to instruct junior radio staff and to host government sponsored radio programs that were geared towards addressing Aboriginal issues and concerns. {He accepted the challenge}.

In early 1973, Ward moved with his family to La Ronge, in northern Saskatchewan, where he hosted and produced Northern News for the Government of Saskatchewan whilst training a small staff of junior broadcasters in the basics of electronic journalism. During this time, he also wrote a weekly newspaper column for the La Ronge Northerner, and delivered a weekly local cable television newscast.

He took a hiatus from broadcasting and journalism as well as media instruction and moved back to Saskatoon in 1976 to work for the Saskatchewan Council for Crippled Children and Adults [Now 'The Abilities Council'] for three years as the Councils rehabilitation counsellor and then briefly as a vocational evaluator.

Ward returned to his radio roots in 1979 when he received an invitation from Roy Currie, then manager of CJWW in Saskatoon, an adult contemporary station to help in the establishment of the 'New' station. Ward quickly found himself hosting shows around the clock and he introduced country music to his programming - a presage of the stations eventual shift to that format. Ward moved his family to the small village of Weldon Saskatchewan in 1981 when his wife took up a teaching position there and at that time he formed his own communications company and then became an itinerant radio and television skills instructor [as well as 'fill-in' announcer for many small radio stations] travelling to all corners of the province.

Ward has been a writer and teacher of radio and television arts as well as media management and governance for over four decades and has helped advance aboriginal radio and television .... in particular MBC Radio and he has been professionally and publicly recognized with awards for his lifetime contributions to aboriginal broadcasting. He continues to deliver new media training and also conducts governance workshops for various agencies and Non-Profit Organizations as a professional extension.

Personal life

Ward was married in 1971. He and his wife Elisabeth, a retired educator, have two children, both grown and married professionals. They also have three grandchildren who are the main focus of their grandparents attention.

Ward served three terms as the mayor of his small residential community, and has served multiple terms on the boards of directors of various civic and volunteer organizations. In a few occasional breaks from the media over almost five decades, he has continued his work as a vocational counsellor and he also developed some 'well used' skills as a wildlife artist and his work is familiar to people in many communities in Western Canada; his amateur skill in creating acrylics, oils, pen & ink wildlife art and watercolours as well as 'Computer Skills Immersion' has been a source of distraction and at times a sought out respite from troubles of the world.

Barrie is a member of Humanist Canada and a dedicated follower of the philosophy of 'Freethought'. Ward has received recognition as a 'Citizen of Merit' from the City of Saskatoon and from the Order of St John of Jerusalem.

Ward was noted for instructing his journalism/broadcasting students that the magic of writing - and the secret to being paid a living wage was to " coalesce the ethereal vapour into a tangible entity" ... A bit more current information on Ward may be found here