CBC's Heather Hiscox to sign off after 20 years hosting national morning news

Heather Hiscox will say good morning to loyal CBC News viewers for the last time this fall, as she steps away from the anchor desk after 20 years as host of CBC Morning Live on CBC News Network.

The veteran broadcaster, who announced her retirement Wednesday morning, says she's "deeply grateful" for her time on the show over the past two decades and that "earning the trust of Canadians" has been the biggest achievement of her career.

"We've shared so many moments, both joyful and difficult, and the bond we've built is something I'll always treasure," she said in a statement. "As I contemplate this final chapter, I feel immense pride in what we've created as a morning team."

Hiscox's final broadcast will be Nov. 6, exactly 20 years since her first morning broadcast on what was then known as CBC Newsworld.

It will be a live audience event at the CBC Broadcasting Centre in downtown Toronto.

But before that, Canadians will have the chance to connect with Hiscox in person as she takes CBC Morning Live on the road this fall to share their stories from across the country.

CBC executive vice-president Barb Williams says she "can't think of a better way to honour her legacy" than to have Hiscox "bring CBC's national lens to local communities."

"For two decades, we've been fortunate to have Heather, up early, sharing the trusted news and information that Canadians depend on from CBC," Williams said in a media release. "She has always been there for Canada."

Hiscox will be missed "immensely," said Andree Lau, the senior director of digital publishing and streaming at CBC News.

But she said she's both "happy and sad" about Hiscox's big news.

"Happy for Heather and her personal decision after so many years of waking up in the wee hours," Lau said in an email. "And, of course, sad to no longer have her talent and expertise at CBC News."

"She brings an incredible standard, work ethic and understanding of how the range of news engages with our audience, that lifts all those around her and has made all of us at CBC News better,"she said.

Aside from helping Canadians start their mornings, delivering them live and breaking news for the first four hours of every day from Monday to Friday, Hiscox has brought Canadians stories that touched their hearts and guided them through moments of turmoil.

She shared in the national heartbreak and mourning for the victims of the 2016 Humboldt Broncos bus crash and helped people make sense of tragic events like the Quebec City mosque attack.

She joined in the excitement of the 2024 total solar eclipse, the pomp and ceremony of the royal weddings of Prince William and Prince Harry and the funeral for Queen Elizabeth.

And she has been a fixture in CBC's Olympic Games coverage, bringing the audience along to a total of 10 Summer and Winter Games — from Turin in 2006 to Paris in 2024 — telling stories that go beyond the podium.

But the Hiscox you see on your screen is what you get off camera, says Lau.

"Compassionate, generous, funny and smart as hell," she said,

"Any time I get the privilege to watch Heather from the control room is a favourite moment for me because that's when you get a close-up of a true master at work."

Hiscox got her start in broadcasting in 1982, at her hometown radio station in Owen Sound, Ont.

She made the leap to television in 1991, working in southwestern Ontario, Toronto, Halifax and Montreal before becoming a correspondent for CBC's The National and working in foreign bureaus in Washington, D.C,. and London.

She won the best national news anchor award at the Canadian Screen Awards (CSA) in 2018 and CBC Morning Live claimed the CSA for best morning show in 2023.

Hiscox received the King Charles III Coronation Medal last month for her contributions to Canada, a recognition that she said made her "thrilled beyond words to receive."