DEMORESTVILLE, ON – Broadcast industry veteran, former CRTC director-general, and community advocate Peter Fleming passed away June 15 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 66.
Fleming spent close to 25 years at the CRTC between 1973-1997, holding a variety of positions including director-general of radio and television broadcast policy. He went on to become a consultant to the broadcasting industry, helping various television and radio companies in Canada in preparing applications, policy positions and presentations to the broadcast regulator. Early on his consulting career, he helped the Government of South Africa to develop its post-apartheid broadcast legislation.
Fleming also served on the board of directors of the Canadian Film Institute, Fonds RadioStar and Community Radio Fund of Canada.
Long-time friend and colleague Bill Roberts remembers Fleming as “an extraordinary broadcasting policy brain but also an extraordinary community person”.
“Throughout the last 36 years, he’s been kind of a godfather during my stints at TVO, Vision, and ZoomerMedia, and I’ve always admired Peter as a stalwart of the community”, Roberts told Cartt.ca, while detailing Fleming’s extensive community work in Ontario’s Prince Edward County. “For over four decades he’s been known as a thoughtful, witty and charming personality within the broadcasting community. He was always an inspiration around pulling for the underdog, had a very strong social conscience, and a very strong streak of being an advocate for human rights. He was quite a guy.”
Roberts said that Fleming’s community causes included working with a local heritage theatre, the Slow Food movement, and in welcoming new Syrian families to the region. The two also volunteered at Picton’s non-profit radio station 99.3 County FM.
Fleming is survived by his wife Diane Rhéaume, children Daniel (Wendy) and Patrice (Jaclyn), and two grandchildren.
A Celebration of Peter's Life will be held on Friday, June 24 from 2:00-5:00 PM at the Sophiasburg Town Hall in Demorestville, in Prince Edward Country. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that memorial donations be made to the County Community Foundation to support projects addressing food insecurity in the region.
