Introduction
Barbara Joan Higgins (born September 21, 1962 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a former newscaster and journalist for Calgary CTV station CFCN-TV. A news journalist for 26 years, she stepped down from her job as a CFCN news anchor to enter the Calgary mayoral election on July 23, 2010. Higgins stated she could not stay neutral as a journalist and decided to run for mayor.
Higgins was married to a former CFL player, Bruce Covernton.
Background
After graduation from Ross Sheppard High School, Higgins enrolled in Business Administration at NAIT. Following two years of study in Business Administration, she transferred to Radio and Television Arts at NAIT. Higgins worked in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan with both CBC and CTV affiliates. She moved to Calgary in March 1989.
Awards
- Winner of the ‘Best of Festival’ at CanPro, and ‘Most Inspirational’ at the Alberta Motion Picture Industry Association for the Documentary Running on Empty.
- Won ‘Best News Series’ from the Radio and Television News Directors Association for the 3-part series on Calgary firefighter Greg McDougal’s battle with the Workers Compensation Board.
- ^ "calgary.ctv.ca - Calgary news from CTV". Ctv.ca. Archived from the original on 2007-09-25. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
Politics
2010 mayoralty election
On June 23, 2010, Higgins announced her intention to run as a candidate for mayor in the 2010 Calgary civic election to be held that October. She subsequently described herself as a fiscal conservative with a heart. Her campaign rhetoric has centred on setting the tone at City Hall and empowering civic employees to develop solutions to address Calgary's $60-million budget shortfall. On October 14, 2010, Higgins challenged reporter Mike McCourt of CKAL-TV about his controversial interview style.
In the election, Higgins placed third behind Naheed Nenshi and Ric McIver.