Former politician Bill Blaikie dies after battle with kidney cancer
The family of retired politician Bill Blaikie says he has died after a battle with cancer.
In a statement from the Blaikie Family posted on Facebook page Saturday, the family confirmed Blaikie died at his home early Saturday.
"It is difficult to express in words our grief, as well as our gratitude for all the love, wisdom and fun he shared with us over the years," the statement reads. "Street-side pipers, food, flowers and especially stories of how Bill inspired and entertained people over the years were a comfort to him and us in his final days."
Blaikie, a well-known MP who served from 1979 to 2008 and MLA from 2009 to 2011, had announced posted on his Facebook page this week that he was entering the final stages of his battle with kidney cancer and would be entering palliative care.
Blaikie was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2020 for his, "lifelong contributions to parliamentary service, and for his steadfast commitment to progressive change and social activism."
Blaikie previously noted he was initially minimally impeded in his daily life until he lost his leg in 2020, which made his life very challenging since.
The family said Blaikie passed away in the presence of his wife Brenda. They said a full obituary and details of his funeral will be released in the coming days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.