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CBC News: New Brunswick Team

Harry Forestell - Host

CBC News:New Brunswick Host, Harry ForestellIn a career spanning more than 20 years, Harry has had a front row seat to the news and the newsmakers that shape our world.

From salt mines to stock exchanges, to the front steps of Downing Street, Harry has reported from across Europe, the UK and North America.

Harry began as a freelance reporter in the Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa, covering breaking political news for regional papers and local CBC Radio.

After a spell as a radio producer in Ottawa, Saint John and Windsor Ontario, Harry moved to London, England where he established a career as a science and medicine correspondent for several international broadcasters, including BBC World Service and National Public Radio. His work for CBC Radio's Quirks and Quarks earned two awards from the Canadian Science Writers Association.

From London Harry reported at the gates of Buckingham Palace on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the rise to power of Tony Blair, and the launch of the world's newest currency, the Euro, in 1999.

After a spell as CBC's European Business Correspondent Harry returned to Canada in 1999. As business editor for CBC television's national morning show and business correspondent for The National, Harry guided CBC viewers through the great tech boom and collapse, the accounting scandals that followed and the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

As a host-interviewer Harry has grilled personalities as diverse as Shimon Peres, Diana Krall and Bill Gates. From the anchor desk he led CBC's breaking news coverage of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the London terror bombings of 2005 and the death of Michael Jackson in 2009.

Harry also reported on the Sars outbreak on 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and the lead up to the second war in Iraq.

Harry is married to Jennifer and they have two daughters.

Peter Coade - Meteorologist

CBC News:New Brunswick Meteorologist, Peter Coade Peter Coade is New Brunswick's most respected, experienced and trusted weathercaster. New Brunswickns have come to depend on Peter's forecasts and now he is a valued member of the CBC Television team.

In 1962, Peter joined the federal government weather service, where he was trained in the science of meteorology, more commonly known as weather casting. During his tenure at the government, Peter worked in Truro, New Brunswick, Goose Bay, Labrador and Toronto, Ontario. It was in Goose Bay, that Peter started his media career with the CBC. He presented the weather nightly from CFLA-TV, to a largely American audience, members of the USAF and their families. While stationed in Toronto with the federal weather service, he also held the position of staff meteorologist for radio station CFRB, working with personalities like Gordon Sinclair and Betty Kennedy. Peter worked for ATV/ASN from March of 1990 until he re-joined the CBC in September of 2007. Peter's very first appearance on CBC Television was back in the late 1950's, when one day he job shadowed weatherman Rube Hornstein for a day. From that very first experience, he's been hooked on weather and is now the 'go to local weather forecaster' for CBC Television audiences in New Brunswick.

Bob Mersereau - Reporter

Bob Mersereau is best-known as the arts reporter for CBC News: New Brunswick at Six, and is a fixture on the East Coast music scene.

A veteran reporter, he's worked in both radio and television in the province since 1982, splitting his time between arts and news production.

Bob started his career as a radio technician in Fredericton, then switched to on-air work in radio, including nationally syndicated music and arts columns. In 1988, he moved to Moncton as a TV news reporter, then transferred back to Fredericton in 1993. He now showcases the province's diverse arts community during his stories for CBC News: New Brunswick at Six.

Roy Gjelstad - Reporter

Roy Gjelstad has been reporting New Brunswick stories for the CBC since 1980. He was based in Fredericton until 1987, moved to Saint John for a decade, then back to Fredericton where he remains.

He's covered stories in all corners of the province as well as sessions of the Legislative Assembly under six Premiers, along with the election campaigns that got them there.

He started his career in broadcast journalism at CHTN Radio in Charlottetown in 1976, as a reporter and newscaster. Roy worked in Moncton for ATV News as a weekend anchor and daily news reporter in 1979/80, where he had the honour of being invited as a dinner guest by Pierre Trudeau. Roy served as president of the New Brunswick Legislative Press Gallery in 1986/87.

Before chasing politicians, Roy made a living as a field biologist, specializing in marine invertebrates. He has a lifelong interest in observing the behaviour of animals without backbones. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Acadia with a double major in Biology and English.

He received a Certificate of Practical Journalism from Holland College in Charlottetown in 1977, after stints as a shipyard welder in his hometown of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and a bartender in a classy Halifax restaurant. Roy maintains a lively interest in all things marine, maritime, scientific, and environmental.

Catherine Harrop - Reporter

Catherine Harrop is the reporter and producer of School Zone on CBC News: New Brunswick at Six in New Brunswick. She also travels the province to profile communities for Your Town: New Brunswick.

Catherine was born in Moncton, went to kindergarten in Saint John, and has lived in Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, and Sydney.

She has been a television editor, sound person, reporter, producer and host for the past two decades. Education is now her beat, and she is always interested in hearing story ideas!

Robert Jones - Reporter

Born in Woodstock and raised in Saint John, Robert Jones has been an investigative reporter and producer with CBC Television in New Brunswick since 1990.

His reports on politics, business and the justice system have won over a dozen regional, national and international journalism awards. In 1996 his documentary A Matter of Pennies, a look at how oil companies failed to pass a New Brunswick gasoline tax cut onto consumers, was named Canada's Investigative Story of the Year by the Canadian Association of Journalists.

A graduate of the University of Toronto, Robert is a former New Brunswick reporter for the Globe and Mail and political columnist for several New Brunswick weeklies including the St. Croix Courier, Campbellton Tribune, Sackville Tribune and Miramichi Leader.

Sonya Varma - Reporter

Sonya has been with CBC TV since 2001. But it was a long and meandering road that brought her to journalism.

She studied biology and considered many other careers before deciding to pursue reporting. Sonya went on to complete a Masters in Journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa. But by graduation in 1997, she was so disillusioned by the program, she forgot about journalism and went to work for a transportation company. Three weeks later, it went bankrupt. Sonya took it as a sign and walked to the local CBC radio office to pitch some news stories.

Since then, she's worked on and off for CBC radio and television. Sonya has volunteered and trained journalists in China and Afghanistan. She has also freelanced from central Africa, filing radio reports for CBC and public radio in the United States. Sonya enjoys photography, cycling and lazy Sunday mornings.