Ben Viccari

In 2010, the documentary film "I Have A Little Sugar" premiered on OMNI Television. Lalita Krishna produced the film, which explores the impact of diabetes, and in particular ethnic groups' exposure to the condition. English and Tamil language versions were produced.

Ben Viccari died at the age of 91, at St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, on May 6, 2010.

In 2009, Viccari launched a web site called Losode.com, a non-profit information exchange for low sodium dieters. He posts his own discoveries about low sodium products and recipes, and those of others who submit information. Comments are moderated, to conform with standards of Canadian and U.S. medical professions.

Lalita and Viccari have completed a second documentary, The M Word, tracing the progress of multiculturalism in Canada from its introduction as a national policy to current controversy and the way ahead. The documentary aired for the first time, in English, on OMNI.1 Television, Saturday, December 1, 2007.

A lifelong film buff and author of screenplays himself, Viccari supplements Canscene's news content with reviews of films; especially during the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2006, he attended 26 showings and reviewed 11 of them for the Canscene blog.

In 2005, Viccari worked with executive producer Lalita Krishna to create the television documentary The Third Element, chronicling the growth of ethnic media in Canada from the 19th century to the present. Ben appeared as host in the documentary, also writing its script and assisting with editing.

From 1986 to 2000, he was managing editor of Canadian Scene, the non-profit, multilingual news and information service for Canada's ethnic media, which has now ceased publication.

Viccari married his wife Anne in 1967. Their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren share in diverse Canadian, Italian, British, Dutch, Ukrainian, Mexican-Irish and German heritages.

He began his career as a writer in England and served in Britain's Royal Artillery in Europe during the Second World War. After the fall of Benito Mussolini, he joined the Military Mission to the Italian Army (Allied Control Commission). Viccari moved to Canada in 1947 and was successful in the fields of public relations, broadcasting and print communications, notably:

Ben Viccari (1918-2010) was a writer, journalist, broadcaster and champion of Canadian multiculturalism. He was a past president of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA). He also published the online blog and news service, Canscene: Canada's multicultural scene. Ben's commentaries have been featured regularly on OMNI Television. He also started Losode.com, a web site for low sodium dieters.

Viccari was born in England in 1918, son of an Italian immigrant father and English mother. Thus, his very beginnings were multicultural. Even at over 90 years of age, Viccari continued to serve his community, acting as a bridge between Canada's diverse cultural groups.