Guelph-Humber alum Heather Butts (Media and Communication Studies, ’10) shares her story about becoming a CTV National News anchor
In an era of rampant misinformation and “fake news,” CTV National News anchor and correspondent Heather Butts has an important job: delivering accurate, timely, and unbiased facts and stories to Canadians about our communities and the world we live in as a trusted journalist.
The University of Guelph-Humber (U of GH) Media & Communication Studies alum (class of 2010) is camera-ready to deliver the national news on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at CTV’s headquarters in Toronto’s Scarborough neighbourhood. Along the way, she has embraced change in getting to where she is today, having moved six times in 10 years, leaving behind friends, family, and relationships, to work across various Canadian cities and stations to cut her teeth in the broadcast journalism industry, sharing stories that matter.
“As journalists, it's up to us to help keep people informed and then people can make educated decisions,” Heather said about the responsibility that comes with being a journalist. “People have opened their homes to me. They've opened their hearts. They have trusted me with their story. I don't take that lightly.”
Heather didn’t always want to be a journalist. Growing up, while she had a sense of curiosity that led her to ask questions and engage with those around her, she was also athletic and loved being around children, so Heather saw herself becoming a schoolteacher or a gym teacher. Still, she adored the art of storytelling.
“I enjoyed telling people what was going on. I was always emceeing school assemblies or local events. As a teenager at family gatherings, I was always the one doing the public speaking. So, presentations and sharing stories came very naturally to me when I was growing up, and I think that fit well with this journalism career,” she said, recalling the memory with a smile.
Moreover, Heather grew up in a household “that valued local news.” It was a home that always had a Toronto Star or Scarborough Mirror newspaper on the table, and one where the family gathered around the TV to watch TSN sports and the evening news. This was her first exposure to the journalism field.
Heather’s passion for journalism eventually clicked when she attended high school at Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ont. Heather kept busy; she “broke the mold” by mixing her enthusiasm for sports and drama, dividing her time between the school’s drama club and playing rugby, hockey, and swimming. She was even the captain of the hockey and rugby teams, and the president of the school’s Athletic Association.
Through the drama club, in her upper years of high school, Heather started experimenting with film production. The students had an inspiring teacher, BJ Castleman, who was always encouraging the club to try new things and push the students out of their comfort zones. With her fellow club members, they used the film equipment to shoot a weekly newscast that aired throughout the high school, delivering school news and details about events to inform the student body. Heather was the sports anchor, fusing her interest in sports with her love of storytelling.
This is what sparked her interest in pursuing journalism, along with the ongoing support of her parents. Heather’s mother encouraged her to chase her dreams and study journalism for her undergrad, and if she still wanted to be a teacher, she could always pursue teacher’s college afterwards.
When it came time to apply to universities, Heather applied to the University of Guelph-Humber’s Media & Communication Studies program, where she was accepted in 2006 just four years after U of GH opened its doors. The experiential learning offered with academic classes appealed to her, as well as U of GH’s small class sizes. Heather recalled her largest class had roughly 100 students: a far cry from the 300±-student lectures at some universities.
“I wanted to be able to know my professors by first name, have them know me, have them understand me, my learning style, and to have that really supportive environment throughout my entire university education,” she explained.
As a university student, Heather learned to ask lots of questions, forge connections with instructors, and to deeply engage with course material. It’s about getting out what you put into the experience, holding onto the mindset that “you get out what you put in.”
It was while still attending U of GH that she got her start in the professional world of broadcast journalism. The University’s internship program gave Heather the opportunity to apply the skills she learned at Guelph-Humber in the real world. A mentor encouraged her to complete her internship outside of Toronto so she could get more hands-on experience at a smaller station – and that’s exactly what she did at Peterborough, Ont.’s CHEX Television (now known as Global Peterborough).
Taking that chance to move out of Toronto paid off. On day five of her internship, Heather already had a story air on television.
“As a young journalist, I began to understand the power of journalism, the power of keeping people informed and keeping people educated. And that's why I chose this career. I learned very early on that we have a responsibility as journalists to help share information, whether that be within one community, a larger city or across the country,” she said.
She vividly remembered interviewing a farmer, covering a story early on in her career about the price of meat. Fast-forward more than a decade later, she covered a similar story about meat prices, resulting in a full-circle moment with that initial chapter of her career, as this left an impression on her about informing the masses about key topics, including those impacting their finances.
CHEX hired Heather part-time before she even graduated. This was her first role – something that brought her great pride. From there, she has worked in Ontario, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia through various roles “climbing the ladder,” including at CKWS TV (now known as Global Kingston), CTV Barrie, CTV Atlantic, and Shaw TV.
When she eventually made it to the CTV News headquarters in Toronto in 2020, the moment felt extra special. Growing up in Scarborough, she would drive past the building, and as a teenager, hoped to work there. “When I first walked in this door, it was a very powerful moment for me to realize that I had finally gotten in...and I would be working at CTV's headquarters. I'm very proud to work in this building and for this team,” Heather said, beaming. “I’m proud to work in this building and for CTV National News. It’s an honour to work alongside a team of incredible journalists. The job requires strong leadership skills to bring everything and everyone together, I really enjoy doing it because we have such a great team.”
As she reflected on her career, she said it wasn’t always easy. She changed roles often within CTV News to gain experience, even working through multiple contracts to continue working with the National team before landing a full-time position. When working in the Maritimes as a morning news anchor and reporter, she would wake up at 3:30 a.m. The career has been filled with challenges, but they have led to wonderful opportunities and experiences. Though Heather admits, those challenges also include rejection.
“With success comes great failure as well. You're not going to get every single job that you apply for; I sure didn't,” she recalled. But support from her loved ones made all the difference, “I am incredibly grateful to those who have supported me throughout my career, my family and friends, colleagues, and mentors. While this career is challenging, it’s made easier with the encouragement and guidance of those who believe in me. I wouldn’t be here without them.”
The key is to persist, learn from the experience, and not “burn bridges” because any connection you make is valuable. “I had a lot of job applications that went nowhere. I had job applications that would at least get me an interview and help build that relationship and get my foot inside the door, so people knew who I was,” Heather said. Her advice? If you’re not pushing and challenging yourself, then you get too comfortable, too complacent. Everyone has their own definition of success, but if you keep striving for it – it also keeps life fun and exciting. A few things she keeps in mind as a national news anchor: Work hard, stay humble, and move forward with grace and dignity.
“I see my career as this really incredible adventure. And with that comes highs and lows, job losses, job gains, moving. It all comes together in the end,” she said. “I would be devastated if I didn't get a job, but I'd continue to work hard. And six months down the road, an even better job or a better opportunity came open to me. As cliché as it is, everything does happen for a reason.”
If Heather could highlight one takeaway from her career, she wants students to know to not be afraid to say YES. Take risks for opportunities. Ask yourself, “Why not?” when hesitating to try something new and exciting. Any experience is great, if it can go on the resume, that’s a bonus, and it might not always be in front of you if you’ve backed down.
Heather also shared this message with Guelph-Humber graduates during her address at Convocation 2024, delivering a message of inspiration and strength to the group. Here, she reminded graduates to “adapt, adjust, and overcome” challenges when times are tough. “If you can’t come up with some pretty strong, immediate responses that tell you ‘no,’ then it’s worth doing,” she underscores.