Ottawa Radio Icon Lowell Green Passes Away at 89

Award-winning Ottawa broadcaster, writer, and community organizer Lowell Green has passed away, as confirmed by his family.

He was best recognized as the host of a long-standing morning talk show on CFRA, starting his journey at the radio station in 1960 as a news and farm reporter.

Six years later, he launched his first open-line talk show called Greenline.

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1936 to Canadian parents, Green’s family later settled in Arthur, Ontario. He grew up there before attending Macdonald Agricultural College of Mc Gill University.

In this photo, a young Lowell Green, at the far left, is pictured with his family delivering milk for the Green dairy in Arthur, Ont. (Submitted by Green family )

Green used his platform to motivate listeners to support causes he believed in.

In the late 1960s, he led an initiative encouraging listeners to send bottles of polluted water from the Rideau River to Queen’s Park.

This campaign eventually contributed to the creation of the Rideau River Conservation Authority.

He also spearheaded efforts to protect the Centennial flame on Parliament Hill during Canada’s centennial celebrations in 1967.

During the 1970s, following a shooting incident at St. Pius X High School in Ottawa involving a shotgun bought from Giant Tiger, he pushed for safer gun laws.

Outside his broadcasting career, Green authored several books. (Submitted by Green family )

In 1983, he established the Ottawa Sunday Herald, which became known as the Ottawa Sun.

Later in 1995, just before Quebec’s separation referendum took place, over 100,000 Canadians outside Quebec joined him for a “unity rally” he organized in Montreal.

Green is also remembered for co-founding both the Ottawa chapter of Big Brothers and Help Santa Toy Parade.

When he retired in 2016, he was North America’s longest-running open-line talk show host. Two of his broadcasts are preserved at Library and Archives Canada.

‘A proud Canadian’

“Lowell will be remembered for promoting ‘common sense’ and his ‘island of sanity,'” his family wrote in a statement Sunday announcing his death.

The Mayor Mark Sutcliffe shared on social media that he listened to Green while growing up before becoming both a colleague and friend.

“He was a groundbreaking talk show host and a proud Canadian,” wrote Sutcliffe who worked as a broadcaster at CFRA prior to entering politics.

“My deepest sympathies to his family , his friends , and his many listeners who will miss him greatly.”

According to their statement , Green was also known as a supporter of Conservative Party values , and after news of his passing , Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre praised him as “the voice of the common people of the Ottawa Valley.”

“He was the voice of hardworking majority who were often overlooked by those holding power,” Poilievre noted on X. “He would gather massive audiences who raised their voices for positive change.”

Despite these ties , Green made two attempts to win elected office under Liberal colors : first seeking nomination for federal party representation in Pontiac back in 1968 , and then running for provincial Liberals during an Ottawa Centre byelection in 1984.

His family stated that Green passed away Saturday at age 89.

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