Home | WebMail | Register or Login

      Calgary | Regions | Local Traffic Report | Advertise on Action News | Contact

Nova Scotia

Halifax is open to celebrity transit announcements, so CBC held some auditions

A spokesperson for Halifax Transit said hiring a celebrity to voice public service announcements is a possibility, so CBC Nova Scotia jumped the gun and auditioned some potential candidates for the transit agency.

4 beloved personalities with connections to Halifax audition their transit announcement skills

CBC Nova Scotia auditioned Don Connolly, Rose Cousins, Gloria McCluskey and Jonathan Torrens for the very hypothetical idea of having them voice transit announcements on buses and ferries. (CBC/A.J. Leitch/CBC/CBC)

Halifax Transit has yet to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to hiring celebrities to voice public service announcements, but a spokesperson saidit's not entirely out of the question, which is why CBCNova Scotia jumped the gun and auditioned some potential candidates.

This comes on the heels of a decision by authorities in Vancouver to drop actor American Morgan Freeman as the "guest voice" for the transit system following sexual misconduct allegations, in favour of Vancouver-born actor Seth Rogen.

Less than a week later, Toronto announced Rogen would also be doing the transit announcements in that city. He recorded messages on things likeholding train doors open, wearing backpacks, evading faresand talking on cellphones.

City spokesperson Erin DiCarlo said Halifax Transit currently uses an automated voice for routine announcements. This "allows us to quickly and cost-effectively create new announcements as our transit system changes," she said.

Vancouver-born actor and comedian Seth Rogen is the star of such films as Knocked Up and Pineapple Express. (Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)

However, she said it might be possible to use a celebrity voice for more consistent messages, such as welcome announcements or safety reminders.

Her statement wasn't exactly a green light for the idea, but the CBC's Information Morning went ahead and auditioned a few potential candidates anyway.

Jonathan Torrens co-hosts the Taggart and Torrens podcast. He's also known for playing J-Roc in the Trailer Park Boys, co-hosting Street Cents and starring in his own talk show called Jonovision. (CBC)
Gloria McCluskey was the last mayor of Dartmouth, N.S., and a city councillor for Halifax. (CBC)
Juno award-winning singer-songwriter Rose Cousins has had her music featured on the television show Grey's Anatomy and in Oprah Magazine. (AJ Leitch)
Don Connolly hosted the CBC's Information Morning for more than 40 years.

Read more articles from CBC Nova Scotia

With files from the CBC's Information Morning