As City Montreal gears up to launch its new morning show Breakfast Television, it announced today the expansion of its on-air team, with the addition of Montreal natives Catherine Verdon-Diamond as Weather and Traffic Specialist, Laura Casella as News Producer and Reporter, and Elias Makos as New Media Producer and Commentator.
Casella, Verdon-Diamond, and Makos join previously announced Breakfast Television in-studio hosts Alexandre Despatie and Joanne Vrakas, along with Live Eye Host Wilder Weir.
Breakfast Television will premiere Monday, Aug. 26. on City Montreal. Following the successful model of Breakfast Television brands in Canada’s major cities across the country – Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver - Breakfast Television is set to air weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET.
Delivering Breakfast Television’s daily dose of traffic and weather reports is former weather host for CBC News Montreal at 11 Catherine Verdon-Diamond. Born in Montreal, Verdon-Diamond grew up overseas, living in Egypt for three years before relocating to Israel for the next four years where she attended the American International School in Israel. Throughout her schooling in Israel, Verdon-Diamond regularly travelled to countries such as Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands to compete in various sports tournaments. She returned to Montreal in 1994, and later studied at Dawson College and Concordia University. In 2024, while working at CBC Montreal behind the scenes, Verdon-Diamond was offered the opportunity to report on the evening weather newscasts. She currently lives in Laval with her husband and two young sons, and dedicates her spare time coaching her sons’ soccer team and volunteering at their school.
Born and raised in St. Leonard, Laura Casella began her career in broadcasting in 2024 as a freelance reporter at CJAD 800, where she quickly moved up the ranks to produce the Tommy Schnurmacher Show. In 2024, while producing the show, she also worked as a freelance reporter for CTV Montreal and reporter for CJAD 800. Throughout her career, Casella has covered a wide range of local and international stories, from protests against the Montreal Canadiens’ Anglophone head coach controversy to language tensions raised by the election of Parti Quebecois. Casella also made her mark reporting from the front lines of the heated Quebec student protests over tuition increases, and most recently covered the papal conclave from Rome for CJAD 800 and other news/talk radio stations across Canada.
Also joining Breakfast Television’s on-air team is Elias Makos as New Media Commentator. An expert in the field of social media and technology trends, Makos has been delivering the latest news in these areas for CTV Montreal, CTV News Channel, and CBC Radio.