Breanna Karstens-Smith

Anchor/Reporter supervisor

Breanna Karstens-Smith is a general assignment reporter for Global Edmonton, reporting on everything from court cases and crimes to local politics and more. She is also the reporter supervisor, mentoring and communicating with the reporting team.    

Born and raised in Edmonton, she joined Edmonton’s #1 news team in June 2019.   

Breanna earned her broadcasting diploma from Mount Royal University in Calgary. After graduation, she made the move to CHAT Television in Medicine Hat to gain experience.  

In 2012, she returned home to work as a reporter in Edmonton. After four years, she made the move to Vancouver where she reported and filled in on the anchor desk.

In May 2016, Breanna was one of the reporters in Fort McMurray when a wildfire quickly spread to the city, forcing everyone to evacuate. She spent the next year travelling back and forth to Fort McMurray to tell stories of the damage and rebuild. As a result, she was part of the team awarded the 2017 Edward R. Murrow Award for Continuing Coverage.

The following year, Breanna was once again on the front lines as British Columbia experienced a record wildfire season. The coverage earned the 2018 Charlie Edwards Award for Breaking News and the 2018 Bert Cannings Award for TV Newscast.

In 2021, Breanna was part of the Global Edmonton team recognized with an RTDNA award for their continuing coverage of devastating flooding in Fort McMurray. She was also a part of the election results team for the municipal election that year. That broadcast was awarded an RTDNA in the Live Special Events category in 2022.

Breanna has volunteered with Kin Canada, the MS Society of Canada and Boys and Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters.

In 2022, she and her husband welcomed their first child.

When not working, Breanna can be found spending time with her family including their golden retriever, Goose.