• 24 Friday, July 16, 2010 Friday, Artscene CBC journalist Diana Swain returns to her passion • OAKVILLE BEAVER By Dominik Kurek “Reporting is in my blood. And this is exactly the job she OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF It’s what I love doing and the wants. She talked to the CBC and this position was created. Oakville’s Diana Swain has been opportunity to really get into “I’ll be working now with an the host of CBC News Toronto for stories is something, I think, investigative team that’s been put the past six years, but now she’s that most journalists really together. Investigative news has going back to her roots as a envy.” really been the cornerstone of the reporter. CBC for a really long time. This is www.oakvillebeaver.com Known as Swain (her maiden Diana Swain, a way of enhancing that and giving name) on television, but as CBC journalist it more presence on programs like Kuipers in her private life, she has The National,” she said. been appointed as a senior inves- The team of about eight or nine tigative correspondent for the CBC host of the Beijing Olympics cover- consists of a senior producer, story News’ investigative unit. age in 2008. producers and researchers. It’s her “Reporting is in my blood,” Now her roles are changing job to do the main interviews, Swain said. “It’s what I love doing once again. write the story and to deliver it on and the opportunity to really get “For journalists like me this is a the air. into stories is something, I think, dream job where I’ll be doing When she begins her new posi- that most journalists really envy. investigative journalism,” she said. tion on Aug. 9 she will meet with Daily news is fantastic work, but “They’ve put together a team of the team individuals, and look at on some levels can be very frus- really strong journalists that I’ll be its existing files and then begin trating because you don’t get to working with and I’ll still have the working on the stories. get into the story like you do opportunity to fill in for Peter She’s looking forward to her when you have a little more (Mansbridge) when he’s away. I new role, but added she will miss time.” still get to do the anchoring piece, her former position as well. Swain, originally from British so it’s a perfect blend of all the “The hardest part about it is Columbia, has gone through vari- things I really enjoy.” leaving the team that we’ve put ous roles in the television news She will still work out of the together. When I came to the pro- industry. She began in a television Toronto office, and unlike when gram six years ago it was much newsroom in Prince George, B.C., she worked with the fifth estate smaller than it is today and it need- and then worked with Global in and Disclosure, Swain said she will ed to be rebuilt. I had a hand in try- Winnipeg, Manitoba, until she be at home a lot more. ing to attach people to the pro- moved on to the CBC in Manitoba “With my previous roles with gram.” 20 years ago. She was a local the fifth estate and Disclosure I Swain said she built connec- reporter. but over the years she had a chance to do stories really all tions with the individuals on the moved on to bigger roles. over the globe. To get the chance team. She worked as an investigative to do that again is really exciting,” “I enjoyed anchoring the local reporter on the fifth estate and Swain said. show very much. I’m very proud of later became the host of the cur- “The focus is obviously what we’ve accomplished. It was rent affairs program Disclosure. Canadian stories, but sometimes such an all encompassing, con- However, more and more work they’ll pull you abroad as you try to suming job that I didn’t have time done on Disclosure was taking pull the pieces of the story togeth- to do any of the other work that place in Toronto and she found er. Our focus is certainly what’s I’ve done throughout my career herself constantly flying back and going on here, but if it means which included the investigative forth. Because both her husband, going abroad we’ll certainly do work.” Ron Kuipers, a freelance producer that to get the story.” The Kuipers still live in the and writer, and herself were from Unlike the position she’s leav- same home they did when they western Canada, they remained in ing, her hours will be far more first moved to the area. Their chil- Winnipeg for as long as they could. irregular. dren, Mason, 14, and Lara, 12, But eventually it became too much “Nine to five is almost none enjoy their Oakville home and par- hassle and seven years ago they existent in this business today. The ticipate in local sports programs. moved closer to Toronto. closest you can get to that is the Why does Diana go by Swain on SUPPLIED PHOTO “We only had a weekend to find role I’ve had with the CBC for the television when her driver’s license a house, just knowing we wanted a MOVING ON: Oakville’s Diana Swain, host of CBC News Toronto, is mov- last six years as anchor of the CBC says she’s Kuipers? nice neighbourhood for our kids,” ing onto a senior investigative reporter position with the public broadcaster. New Toronto,” she said. “I had already started my career Swain said. “The realtor that “It suited us well as a family as Swain, so I’ve kept Swain on the helped us showed us 31 houses in were, we didn’t know anything became the anchor of CBC News when our kids were younger. But air, my maiden name,” she said. two days from east of Toronto in about neighbourhoods or Toronto Toronto, a suppertime news pro- they’re both moving into their “My husband can say it’s my work the Beaches to Oakville. The last and we can’t believe our luck.” gram and an occasional replace- teens now and it allows a little bit persona. Privately, my kids’ friends one we saw was the one we bought The show Disclosure went off ment for Peter Mansbridge on The more flexibility for us at home for never know what to call me, Mrs. in Glen Abbey. We still marvel at the air about a year after Swain National. She is a two-time Gemini me take this on and the timing is Swain or Kuipers, so I let them go the fact we didn’t know where we moved to Oakville. At that time she Award winner and was the CBC’s right.” with both.”.