Capital Current introduces people who have had an impact on the city.
Who is she?
Rosey Edeh has been the news and entertainment co-host for CTV Your Morning Ottawa since 2020. She is also a familiar face in the local arts, sports, music and technology communities.
What is her background?
Born on Aug. 16, 1966, Edeh spent the first five years in London, England. From the age of six, Edeh was raised in Montreal alongside her sister. She attended Rice University in Houston, Texas, on an athletic scholarship, where she said she appreciated the competitive American athletic culture.
“Their attitude, it’s like, a kill or be killed,” she said, adding there was a “take no prisoners” approach. “It’s all about team spirit.”
Edeh picked up that attitude going on to set a Canadian record in the 400-metre hurdles during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. She still holds the Quebec record in the 400 metres.
“That sport, that event, taught me a specific kind of penchant for discomfort and knowing full well that something good will come from that,” Edeh told Capital Current.
Her daughter, Micha Powell, is following in her footsteps. She made the 2016 Canadian Olympic team and was a gold medallist in the Commonwealth Games 4 x 4 relay in 2022.
What is Edeh known for in Ottawa?
Today Edeh is best known as the co-anchor of CTV Your Morning Ottawa. However, her influence extends beyond broadcasting and athletics. She is a national apprentice sprint coach and encourages girls and women to participate in sports. She is actively involved in community initiatives such as the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group’s Sports Day: The Girls’ Way and Girls on the Run. She also participates in cultural and educational events, including hosting panel discussions at the Ottawa Art Gallery.
She says her strength is “listening deeply and making interviews feel genuine and human.”
She’s also seen as an inspiration for young Black girls in Canada, saying she became “comfortable being uncomfortable” in her identity. For example, she decided to cut off her straightened hair and wear a natural Afro, choosing to embrace her Blackness fully. She also insists on pronouncing her surname properly as a statement of authenticity (stress on the first syllable).
What do people say about her?
When Edeh joined the network, Ziyada Callender, supervising producer of CTV Morning Live Ottawa, said: “We could not be more thrilled to have a trusted journalist like Rosey join CTV Morning Live Ottawa – her passion and energy add to the show’s mandate to tell meaningful and entertaining stories.”
What’s something people may not know about her?
Rosey is not her real first name. Her name is actually Ugochukwu, which is Igbo for “God’s eagle.” She says her mother gave her two names growing up in the 1960s. Her mother decided to put the Anglo name first (Rosey), then the Igbo name (Ugochukwu).
She has worked to show off her Igbo name as much as she can. She even made her social handle Rosey Ugo Edeh — merging her English and Igbo names.
“Now I love my Igbo name — it’s who I am.”
