For more than two decades, Bal Brach has built an award-winning career in Canadian broadcast journalism. She began in Ottawa at Rogers Television, and after graduating from Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication, went on to write for CTV’s Canada AM and later work as a reporter for CTV News Ottawa.
While in the nation’s capital, Bal was recruited to help launch the National Breaking News Desk at Postmedia (formerly Canwest News Service), covering everything from business and politics to health, crime and sports. Her published work — including coverage of Omar Khadr and the Conrad Black trial — appeared on the front pages of the National Post, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun and Ottawa Citizen.
Bal returned to British Columbia to work for Global National before joining CBC News in 2011 as a staff reporter, where she developed and launched social media strategies for CBC’s news divisions in B.C. and Alberta. In 2013, she stepped down from her full-time position to launch Wrise Productions Inc. — frustrated by the lack of representation in Canadian television, and determined to build a platform for stories that reflect the diverse communities in Canada and abroad. She continues to work with CBC in a freelance capacity.
Her journalism has been recognized with some of the industry’s highest honours. In 2016, Bal received a Jack Webster Award — B.C.’s top journalism prize — for her continued coverage of Syrian refugee resettlement; that coverage also earned her a Canadian Screen Award nomination in 2017. She’s also earned multiple regional and national awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), and her digital storytelling has been recognized by the Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.
Through Wrise Productions, Bal wrote, directed and produced Little India Big Business, a documentary on the growth of the Indian wedding industry in Canada. The film aired on CBC and the Documentary Channel, screened at more than a dozen international festivals, and was a 2017 finalist at the New York Festivals in the TV documentary category for best cultural issues.
In 2018, Bal turned to audio, producing SOLD! — an original CBC podcast on the role of foreign investment in B.C.’s real estate market. The series debuted at number one on the iTunes Canada charts in its first week, and earned Bal a second Jack Webster Award.
In 2021, Urban Asian Magazine named her one of the Top 20 Most Influential South Asians in Vancouver.
Today, Bal is on the journalism faculty at Langara College in Vancouver — western Canada’s oldest journalism school. She’s shaping the next generation of storytellers, training students who go on to become journalists, podcasters and communication professionals across the industry. She continues to work on independent projects through Wrise Productions Inc., and has served as a guest host on CBC Radio. Beyond the classroom, Bal also lends her leadership to the board of J-Schools Canada, helping shape the future of journalism education nationally.
Outside of work, Bal leads an active family life in Vancouver with her husband and their four children.