Kelly-Anne Riess

Reporter

Kelly-Anne Riess knew she wanted to be a journalist in Grade 8. It’s right there in her yearbook, along with a prediction that she would get lost before she got started.

Both turned out to be accurate.

Growing up, Riess’ father encouraged her to be curious, ask questions and never take anything at face value. Naturally, she became a reporter.

But first, mechanical engineering.

After briefly pursuing a career that involved more math than writing, Riess made the difficult decision to follow her original calling.

Her journalism career began in 2001 as news editor of The Sheaf, the University of Saskatchewan’s student newspaper, while completing an English degree. She went on to study journalism at the University of Regina before landing at CBC Newsworld, where she helped cover the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the SARS outbreak.

From there, she headed north to the Whitehorse Daily Star, covering courts, crime and policing. She also followed the Yukon Quest, travelling the entire 1,600-kilometre sled dog race route between Whitehorse and Fairbanks, Alaska.

Her career then took a darker turn — professionally speaking — when she became a researcher, writer, and unit director for Crime Stories, a documentary series on History Television. The job involved travelling across North America interviewing police officers who helped catch some of the continent’s most notorious serial killers. Fascinating work, although not conducive to a good night’s sleep.

She went on to independently produce and direct award-winning documentaries that aired nationally on CBC and screened at film festivals across Canada.

She also spent eight years writing arts and entertainment stories for the Regina Leader-Post, freelanced for publications including The Globe and Mail, Canadian Geographic, Chatelaine and The Walrus, and taught writing workshops across rural and northern Saskatchewan.

Along the way, she worked in communications and marketing for the Regina Public Library and Saskatchewan Polytechnic, and served as a regional editor for Postmedia after moving to Cold Lake, Alta.

Later, she founded The Flatlander, an independent publication supported by the Google News Initiative that covered issues affecting Saskatchewan and Manitoba. She ran it for five years, demonstrating both her commitment to Prairie journalism and a questionable willingness to wear too many hats.

Riess is the author of two books about Saskatchewan and a poetry collection published by Thistledown Press. She holds a master’s degree in English from the University of Regina, helping edit the book The Literary History of Saskatchewan, Volume 3.

She joined the Winnipeg Free Press as a reporter in 2026.

While some journalists believe they need to move to Toronto to make a name for themselves, Riess has spent her career proving there are plenty of stories worth telling on the Prairies.

Outside the newsroom, she enjoys knitting, reading, video games and jigsaw puzzles — hobbies that involve fewer gruesome crime scene photos and interviews with homicide detectives.

Despite her Grade 8 yearbook’s prediction, she eventually found her way.

Her 13-year-old self would be thrilled. Her present-day self is pretty happy about it too.