TSN president Stewart Johnston named 15th commissioner of the CFL

Stewart Johnston is shown in this recent handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO — CFL

TORONTO — The CFL has hired Stewart Johnston as its new commissioner.

The league made the move official Wednesday morning, introducing Johnston as its 15th commissioner.

Johnston succeeds Randy Ambrosie, who announced in October his intention to retire in 2025 once his successor was chosen.

Johnston will join the CFL after serving as president of TSN since 2010.

His appointment wasn’t a surprise as two sources told The Canadian Press on Tuesday that Johnston had emerged as the top candidate to replace Ambrosie.

Johnston, a 54-year-old Toronto native, began working at the sports network in 1997 as an intern and was eventually promoted to vice-president of programming in 2006.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2025.

CTV, CP24, BNN Bloomberg and TSN are owned by Bell Media, which is a division of BCE.