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Peter John Gzowski (July 13, 1934 – January 24, 2002), known colloquially as "Mr. Canada", or "Captain Canada",Mary Gazze, Broadcaster Peter Gzowski had secret child, dark side: Biographer. Canadian Press via The Toronto Star, August 23, 2010. Retrieved 2016-06-27. was a Canadian broadcaster, writer and reporter, most famous for his work on the CBC radio shows This Country in the Morning and Morningside. His first biographer argued that Gzowski's contribution to Canadian media must be considered in the context of efforts by a generation of Canadian nationalists to understand and express Canada's cultural identity.Adria, Marco Peter Gzowski: An Electric Life (Toronto: ECW Press, 1995). Gzowski wrote books, hosted television shows, and worked at a number of newspapers and at Maclean's magazine. Gzowski was known for a friendly, warm, interviewing style.
The marriage of Gzowski's parents ended shortly after Gzowski was born, with Harold Gzowski leaving the marriage for a Great Depression-era vagabond life. Gzowski and his mother were supported by Harold Gzowski's family, following Harold Gzowski's departure. Gzowski's mother then married Reg Brown, a sales manager of a local textile mill, and the family relocated to Galt, Ontario, in 1939, when Gzowski was five.Peter Gzowski, "Out of breath". The Globe and Mail, September 8, 2001, pp. F1, F4-F5.
Gzowski encountered difficulties succeeding in high school in Galt. During the Christmas break in his Grade 11 year, Gzowski reconnected with his father in Toronto, living with him for a short period, before his father encouraged him to attend Ridley College boarding school, in St. Catharines, Ontario, which Gzowski's father had also attended. Gzowski's mother died the summer following the commencement of Gzowski's studies at Ridley College. Gzowski's mother was 40; Gzowski was 16.Brian Bethune, A lot of stuff Peter Gzowski just made up. Maclean's, April 23, 2010. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
Gzowski attended the University of Toronto but never graduated; he was later awarded 11 honorary degrees. Midway through university, he took time off to work for the Timmins Daily Press. During his last year, 1956–57, at the U of T, he edited the student newspaper The Varsity. In the spring of 1957, he became city editor of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. After a few months in Moose Jaw, he was hired by the Chatham Daily News. In September 1958, he joined the staff of Maclean's magazine. When he was 28 he became the youngest-ever managing editor of Maclean's. In the 1960s he moved to the Toronto Star and became the last editor of The Star Weekly magazine until it was sold in 1968.
His first regular radio show was Radio Free Friday, 1969–1970. In 1971 he became the radio host of CBC's This Country in the Morning. From 1976 to 1978 he hosted the television show 90 Minutes Live on CBC Television. In 1982 he returned to his former morning radio program, which had by now been renamed Morningside, where he remained until 1997. He also narrated a few Heritage Minutes. He returned to Moose Jaw, to host his last episode of Morningside from the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa Resort. Calgary Herald Soak up Canadian history in Saskatchewan
In 1986, Gzowski held the first fundraising golf tournament for literacy, a cause that was very important to him. That tournament has evolved and is now held in every province and territory of Canada and has raised more than $13-million for volunteer-based literacy programs.
As part of its activities, it honours a Canadian each year with the Peter Gzowski Award for contributions to adult literacy in Canada. Gzowski indirectly contributed through his journalism to matters of national importance, such as in his 1995 CBC Radio coverage of the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Maple Leaf flag, a contribution that was re-aired in part on 15 February 2025.CBC Radio One, 15 February 2025, 9:45 am PT.
Throughout most of his life, Gzowski had been a heavy smoker of cigarettes, consuming up to 75 cigarettes per day. In 2000, Gzowski stopped smoking through attending a treatment centre for persons with addictions. A few months following the completion of treatment, Gzowski developed emphysema, following a chest infection. By the fall of 2001, he was largely confined to his home, breathing with the assistance of an oxygen tank. In 2001, he contributed the essay "How to Quit Smoking in Fifty Years or Less" to Addicted: Notes from the Belly of the Beast, edited by Lorna Crozier and Patrick Lane, and published by Greystone Books. The essay was reprinted in September 2001 by The Globe and Mail as "Out of breath". He also wrote the essay "Life after smoking", which was published in 50+ Magazine in June 2001 and included in A Peter Gzowski Reader,Peter Gzowski, "Life after smoking", plus publication history. Retrieved 2016-05-28. published by McClelland and Stewart in October, 2001. The book is a collection of Gzowski's written works, commencing from his time as a writer for The Varsity at the University of Toronto, collected and with commentary by Gzowski.Amazon.ca, Particulars of A Peter Gzowski Reader. Retrieved 2016-05-28.Google Books, Particulars of A Peter Gzowski Reader. Retrieved 2016-05-31. Gzowski died of emphysema in Toronto on January 24, 2002.
Gzowski was divorced from his first wife, Jennie Lissaman, from Brandon, Manitoba, whom he met while residing in Moose Jaw and with whom he had five children (Alison, Maria, Peter, John and Mick). He was survived also by two common-law partners, Jan Walter and Gillian Howard, whom he called his "Partner for Life". Gzowski was the father of a son (Robert Lawrence Perkins), born in 1961, from an extra-marital relationship.
Following his death, his remains were placed in the family tomb at St. James Cemetery in Toronto.
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Categories: 1934 Births, 2002 Deaths, Journalists From Toronto, Writers From Toronto, 20th-century Non-fiction Writers, Canadian Magazine Editors, Canadian Magazine Journalists, Canadian Non-fiction Writers, Canadian People Of Polish Descent, Canadian Television Talk Show Hosts, Canadian Newspaper Journalists, Canadian Male Journalists, Canadian Talk Radio Hosts, Chancellors Of Trent University, Companions Of The Order Of Canada, Peabody Award Winners, Ridley College Alumni, Cbc Radio Hosts, University Of Toronto Alumni, Maclean's Writers And Editors, Deaths From Emphysema, Burials At St. James Cemetery, Toronto, Governor General's Award Winners, Writers From Cambridge, Ontario
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