Legendary CBC Radio Producer Dies Following Random Assault in Toronto

CBC Radio producer Michael Finlay has died from injuries resulting from a violent assault while walking the streets of Toronto in late January.

According to Toronto Police Service, Finlay was “walking down Danforth Avenue near Jones Avenue on the afternoon of Jan. 24 when he was “randomly assaulted.” 

Finlay sustained “serious injuries,” was taken to a local hospital and released the same day.

Toronto police report that Finlay sustained several broken ribs. He returned to the hospital after his condition worsened and died a few days later.

Police have not yet apprehended the suspect and “described him as a male in his 20s, around 6 feet tall, with a slim build … last seen wearing all black, along with a red paper mask with flames on it.”

Finlay worked for CBC for 31 years; colleagues and listeners have described him as an “exceptional storyteller, documentary maker, and editor.”

Former CBC foreign correspondent Frank Koller paid tribute to Finlay in a Facebook post while lamenting how Toronto’s streets were becoming “increasingly violent.” 

“Michael had traveled the world,” Koller wrote, “making wonderful radio programs about … everything under the sun … revolutions, politics, horse racing, disasters, Kim Dae Jung, boxing, Ireland.”

Koller continued: “He understood better than most what ‘good radio’ required; he knew what good journalism was – and he was a stickler for good grammar and pronunciation and the music and cadence of well-spoken English.”

 Vilkhow Law reports that according to Toronto police data:

• Assaults are up 11.% over the previous year.
• Motor vehicle thefts are up almost 48% in the last 12 months.
• Reports of breaking and entering are up 5.2% in the last 12 months.
• Reports of theft of more than $5000 are up 33.4% in the last 12 months.
• Reports of an assault with a weapon are now recorded 7 times each day.

During his notable career at the CBC, Finlay worked on Sunday Morning Dispatches and World At Six. 

The Post Millennial referred to Finlay as “legendary.”