Getting What You Deserve: The Adventures of Goldhawk Fights Back

Julie Rekai Rickerd is a Toronto-based broadcaster and public-relations
consultant.

Dale Goldhawk—Canada’s answer to Michael Moore or “the St. Jude of
Canadian journalism”—began his consumer and citizen advocacy media
career in 1969 at the Toronto Telegram. He was host of CBC Radio’s
Cross-Country Check-up for three years and began his Goldhawk Fights
Back television series at the CBC but moved it to the CTV network in
1992.

In the nine years that followed, Goldhawk and his team received 250,000
letters per year from across the country and aired 390 episodes on CTV
of “more than 19 hours of injustice, unfairness, tragedy and loss.”
They “helped put millions of dollars in the form of cash settlements,
pensions, refunds and awards back into the pockets of, up until then,
helpless Canadians.” “Our first priority”, Goldhawk says, “was
solving problems and fighting for change.”

The problems of average Canadian citizens ranged from a need for a
particular crosswalk to bureaucratic nightmares, scams of all kinds,
fake lawyers, removal of curses, marketing frauds, putting people in
jail or getting them out, helping people to die with dignity, and
changes in laws and government regulations. The resulting solutions
often did not please the network’s management. When faulty ignition
switches were reported on certain Ford vehicles, the company threatened
to cancel its $7 million of CTV advertising if the item was broadcast.
Goldhawk persisted. Not only was Ford advertising not removed after
airing, but a mass recall was initiated by Ford for the cars in
question.

No company or individual escaped Goldhawk’s “public court of last
resort.” The background battles and adventures leading to resolutions
were often complex and lengthy. Some of the files were open for up to
two years before being resolved.

The author’s courage and determination led to success much more often
than not. Readers of this engrossing and uplifting book will learn how
to avoid being duped by con artists, how to stand up and be heard when
necessary, and, above all, how to persevere against all odds.