Niagara-on-the-Lake resident Valerie Pringle was totally taken by surprise when she received a call from Women in Niagara Council (WIN) that she would be receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the November 16 Niagara Women in Business Awards.
“I had no idea, and I had never even heard of the awards,” the veteran Canadian broadcaster tells The Local. “It’s such an honour to be thought of for this. It’s so lovely.”
“Valerie's commitment to philanthropy, advocacy, and community engagement has made her an inspiration to us all,” says a post on Linked In by WIN chair N’ora Kalb of Innovate Niagara. “Her work with various charitable organizations and her unwavering dedication to making Canada a better place is truly commendable.”
Pringle has been a stalwart fixture in Canadian broadcasting circles for more than 50 years, beginning with her first job at CFRB Radio in 1973. She was one of the original hosts of CBC Television’s Midday and spent a number of years as co-host of CTV flagship program Canada AM.
Pringle hosted CTV’s coverage of the 1993 election and 1995’s Quebec referendum, as well as the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. After leaving the network, she went on to host a travel show called Valerie Pringle Has Left the Building, produced documentary specials for Discovery Channel Canada, and hosted the Canadian edition of Antiques Roadshow on CBC.
Her most recent broadcasting gig is as host of Buffalo public broadcaster WNED’s 30-minute interview show Canada Files.
But, as Kalb’s post suggests, it’s her dedication to philanthropy that has truly caught the eye of WIN.
“Two passions in particular that I’ve been really happy to connect with, and that I’ve worked super hard at for decades,” she says, “are the Trans Canada Trail and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).”
Pringle was involved with the Trans Canada Trail for more than 20 years. She chaired the board for six of those years and subsequently served as the chair of its fundraising foundation for another eight. She headed a campaign that raised $83 Million to connect the trail across the country, a task that was completed in 2017.
“I loved everything about the trail,” she says. “That it connected Canadians, and that it got people outside and encouraged both physical and mental health. I’m certainly not the first person to connect getting outside and walking with mental health, but I know I thought about that right from the start.”
Her public profile as a broadcaster and the fact that she had connected with many of Canada’s greatest families and politicians through the years were instrumental in the campaign’s success.
“I travelled the country, I celebrated the trail builders,” she says. “I was in every meeting. I did all the grunt work. Apart from my kids and my marriage, I think it is the greatest thing I ever did. It’s a great Canadian treasure. And when I left two years ago, our son (Tony Pringle) joined the board.”
“With CAMH, the whole issue of mental health and advocating for better treatment and access to mental health care was another focus,” she adds. “I took a tour of the old facility and saw that it was Dickensian, it was awful.”
Other broadcasters often contribute to causes, often showing up as masters of ceremony at events and lending their name and image to campaigns. But like with the Trans Canada Trail, Pringle was much more than a figurehead with CAMH.
“I showed up at meetings, I helped work through problems, I raised funds, and I advocated,” she says of her two decades there. “We’re closing in on having raised almost a billion dollars and having rebuilt that 27 acre site. I’ve been part of marketing committees that have come up with important messages about mental illness.”
With a big smile on her face, Pringle calls that work fascinating, satisfying and rewarding. She loved putting in the effort and seeing the results over the long term.
Locally, she exhibited that kind of commitment when the 2013 Laura Secord Commemorative Walk was held on the Laura Secord Legacy Trail. There she was at the Laura Secord Homestead alongside first lady Laureen Harper. She and Harper were the first walkers to leave the site, and they completed the entire 32 km journey.
The Pringles have also sponsored three Syrian refugee families through their work with a group Valerie started through Toronto Metropolitan University. She recently received an email confirming that the third of those families had received their Canadian citizenship.
“We helped them navigate the system,” she says. “We drove out to Mississauga to meet with them, helped them solve their medical problems. We didn’t just sign the papers. It was a lot of work. I’m really proud of what we did there.”
Pringle and her husband John bought their Old Town home about 14 years ago. Though they still maintain a residence in Toronto out of necessity, they call NOTL their true home.
“The heavenly part of COVID for us was living in Niagara full time,” she says. “I felt safe, and our grandchildren were with us because their mother was working for the Ministry of Health. I love this community, it’s the only place we really want to be.”
And getting recognized by a Niagara-based organization means a lot to her.
“My CAMH work, of course, is in Toronto, and the trail is everywhere,” says Pringle. “Maybe that’s why I was so surprised they wanted to honour me. It’s very special to receive this recognition here, where our heart is.”
Pringle will be out of the country and unable to attend the awards ceremony, but has recorded an acceptance speech that will be played at the event. The Niagara Women in Business Awards will be held Thursday, November 16 at the Marriott on the Falls on Fallsview Boulevard.