Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #45, Mary Ann Turcke

By Toronto Life

| November 28, 2016

Copy link

Mary Ann Turcke

President, Bell Media

45Turcke inherited a news division that was reeling from her predecessor’s attempts to meddle in CTV’s news coverage. Since that controversy, she has steered the legacy media property in a confident new direction. Turcke pulled the plug on Canada AM after 43 seasons and replaced it with Your Morning, a glitzier iteration. Even if the gamble goes bust, Turcke can still brag about consistently beating the CBC for most-watched national newscast. Her campaign against Canadians stealing U.S. Netflix seems to have worked: in the spring, Netflix Canada introduced measures to prevent viewers from accessing the service’s American library. (Sorry, Frasier fans.)

Leisure pursuits:

She and her husband, Gord McIlquham, are competitive sailors.

Mary Ann Turcke

President, Bell Media

Leisure pursuits:

Toronto's Most Influential People of 2016

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #1, Justin Trudeau

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #2, Drake

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #3, John Tory

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #4, Kathleen Wynne

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #5, Gerald Butts

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #6, Bill Morneau

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #7, George Cope

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #8, Katie Telford

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #9, Jennifer Keesmaat

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #10, Masai Ujiri

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #11, Ratna Omidvar

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #12, David Thomson

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #13, Tracey Cook

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #14, Cameron Bailey and Piers Handling

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #15, Marie Henein

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #16, Larry Tanenbaum

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #17, Deb Matthews

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #18, The Weeknd

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #19, Josh Donaldson

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #20, Doug Murphy

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #21, Charles Khabouth

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #22, Eric Hoskins

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #23, Gord Downie

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #24, Mark Shapiro

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #25, Patrick Brown

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #26, Kevin O’Leary

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #27, John Zerucelli

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #28, Ted Livingston

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #29, Tatiana Maslany

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #30, Ian Black

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #31, Sandy Hudson and Janaya Khan

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #32, Rachel McAdams

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #33, Heather Reisman

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #34, Cory Joseph, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #35, Karen Kain

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #36, Stephan Jost

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #37, Joshua Basseches

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #38, Michael Katchen

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #39, Kristin Cochrane

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #40, John Ruffolo

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #41, Mitzie Hunter

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #42, Sarah Polley

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #43, Iain Klugman

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #44, Maureen Taylor

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #46, Mohamad Fakih

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #47, Matt Galloway

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #48, Penny Oleksiak

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #49, Carolyn Bennett

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #50, Michael Ford

The Latest

Toronto is now giving out free pre-approved designs for laneway and garden suites

Lai Wah Heen is reopening in the same location but with new owners and chefs

“After a decade playing professional poker, I just won my first $1-million score”

This sort-of-secret rooftop patio serves cocktail pitchers and boozy ice cream sandwiches

NIMBYs are complaining about proposed homeless shelters in the suburbs

Doug Ford has hit another roadblock in his battle against bike lanes