Former CTV anchor Leclerc leaves legislature job after just five months

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This article was published 18/06/2020 (1653 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After nearly 20 years as a local news anchor, Gord Leclerc was a Winnipeg household name. When he was abruptly let go by the station in November, it was big news all over the city.

When he was hired as press secretary to Health Minister Cameron Friesen in February, LeClerc said in a brief interview that he was grateful for the opportunity and excited to begin a new chapter in his career.

That chapter is now over.

“He left to pursue other opportunities,” a provincial government spokesman said in an email Friday.

“We wish him well.”

Leclerc could not be reached for comment.

His departure from the provincial cabinet’s media relations department marked the second time in less than a year that he’s experienced major employment upheaval.

Shortly after he was let go from anchoring CTV Winnipeg’s flagship suppertime news, Bell Media’s communications manager in Toronto said in a written statement that the move was brought about by “rapid industry change…. We’re feeling the effects of rapid industry change in many parts of our business, including local TV…. To ensure we remain competitive, we’re managing the impact on our bottom line while also investing in content and platforms.”

Weeks after Leclerc started his job as press secretary to the health minister in February, the Manitoba government was confronted with an unprecedented health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. Provincial health officials were holding press conferences seven days a week to share information and prevent public panic.

Friesen’s department was in the public eye and on the front line trying to procure personal protective equipment in short supply, as health systems around the world competed to access supplies.

Manitoba managed to limit the spread of the virus, flatten the curve and is entering a new chapter of its reopening with a new press secretary to the health minister, Brant Batters, who studied at the University of Manitoba and Red River College and has more than a decade of communications experience, according to his LinkedIn profile.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca