WINNIPEG – After 33 years with the company, CanWest Global’s Canadian operations CEO Peter Viner has decided to retire, the company said today.
Viner joined CanWest in 1974 as vice-president of sales and marketing for Global Television and in 1980 was appointed president of CKVU TV Vancouver.
In 1992 he moved even farther west, and south, to head up CanWest’s Australian operations as CEO of TEN Network where he helped build it into a multi-billion dollar enterprise. In 1997, Viner was brought back to Canada as president and CEO of CanWest Global, and in 1999 also took on the role of vice-chairman of the board, where he played a key role in leading the company through the purchase of WIC’s television assets, which was at the time the largest transaction in Canadian broadcast history.
However, after CanWest founder Izzy Asper died in 2003, Viner (pictured) assumed less of an operations role with new management that had been brought in. But, by 2005, Viner was brought back to lead as CanWest suffered on the TV and print sides.
Through a spokesperson, Viner declined an interview. 
"We want to sincerely thank Pete for his passion and dedication to CanWest. We are fortunate that we will continue to benefit from his experience and intellect through his ongoing involvement with CanWest," said company CEO Leonard Asper, in a press release.
No replacement for Viner is in the cards as the publishing and television divisional operating heads previously reporting to him will now report directly to Asper.
