Tributes are pouring in for beloved Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent, with friends and fans recalling his playful humour and creative spirit.
The Newfoundland native and award-winning star of the film “Away From Her” died Saturday at age 92.
Admirers from actors and directors to politicians and everyday Canadians mourned and honoured Pinsent in the wake of his passing, calling him a national treasure, a charming storyteller and an icon of the arts.
Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley, who directed the 2006 drama “Away From Her” in which Pinsent turned in his best-known and most highly acclaimed performance, said he had “an enormous capacity for joy in absolutely everything he did.”
“It was infectious and educational,” she said on Twitter. “There wasn’t a moment without a twinkle of mischief and a determination to enjoy the moment.”
Comedian and fellow Newfoundlander Rick Mercer says Pinsent was “a true renaissance man,” adding the actor, writer, director, painter and one-time dance instructor was the “epitome of class and one hell of a funny guy.”
Similar reflections came from Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey.
“he made us laugh. He made us cry. He brought our province to the world stage. He represented us in a way like no other,” he said on Twitter. “Thank you, Gordon Pinsent, for all you did for the arts, for Newfoundland and Labrador, and for our country.”
Jonathan Torrens of Trailer Park Boys and Street Cents fame recounted an amusing tale from the filming of “The Shipping News,” a major Hollywood production starring Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett.
When the film was being shot in Newfoundland, “so the story goes, Kevin Spacey arrived in town with several security guards in tow,” he said on Twitter.
“If you’ve ever been to Newfoundland, you would know that the people there wouldn’t care who he was,” Torrens said. “They would care more about what he was.”
Most of the guards were sent home, and eventually a barricade set up to keep “curious people away” was taken down, he said.
“What they didn’t see coming was that people would walk onto the set right past Kevin Spacey and over to Gordon Pinsent,” Torrens said. “The real star of the movie. A local boy. Who remembered everyone’s name and kept disappearing to play crib and have a cuppa with locals. Legend.”
He added: “No one can ever act as well as Mr. Pinsent but we should all aspire to act like him. A true gentleman and Canadian Star if ever there was one.”
Gordon Pinsent was one of Canada’s most iconic actors. He was passionate, captivating, and endlessly talented. His family has said that he “loved this country and its people, purpose, and culture to his last breath” – and I hope he knew that we felt the same about him.
“He was my hero. My friend. My family. And easily the funniest man on earth,” Dunn, creator of the Queer As Folk reboot, said on Twitter. “Eternally grateful to have known you.”
Canadian film critic Richard Crouse said he was in awe of Pinsent’s talent and even more so his “ability to be a true gentlemen, always ready with a story and a laugh.”
“Everything you’ve heard about him is true, he was one of a kind,” he said on Twitter.
Even Canadians that had never met Pinsent offered short but heartfelt eulogies on social media, like one Twitter user who simply said: “I didn’t know Gordon Pinsent but it sure feels like we’ve been friends my entire life.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2023.
Gordon had an enormous capacity for joy in absolutely everything he did. It was infectious and educational. There wasn’t a moment without a twinkle of mischief and a determination to enjoy the moment. pic.twitter.com/xEATSy4kZd
Gordon Pinsent was our North Star. A true renaissance man. Actor, writer, director, painter and one time dance instructor. Gordon beat the path and made it possible for all that followed. The epitome of class & one hell of a funny guy. The Rowdy Man is gone but never forgotten. pic.twitter.com/TRpCCvK9mQ
The Rowdyman. Gordon Pinsent was a legend that paved the way for all of us working in entertainment. He was my hero. My friend. My family. And easily the funniest man on earth. Eternally grateful to have known you. pic.twitter.com/nEdP5aYsLR
We lost a legend yesterday. Gordon Pinsent. I’ll never forget our times together. True red blooded proud Canadian. He was adored the world over. Loved hearing tales from my pal @kbruce237 .. ????. They adored each other .. gonna miss you pal. What a life you had Gordon ???? pic.twitter.com/Jp0fT7QkoP
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
