THREE TIMES LUCKY
The Junos are back in Ottawa in 2017, Lynn Saxberg writes.
Ottawa’s quest to transform itself into a music city got a boost with Wednesday’s announcement the Juno Awards will return to the nation’s capital in 2017, as part of the festivities celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary.
The 46th annual edition of Canada’s national music awards will take place March 27 to April 2, 2017, with the televised gala happening April 2 at Canadian Tire Centre.
It will be the third time Ottawa has hosted the awards, making it the Junos’ most-visited city outside southern Ontario.
“We travel across this country from coast to coast and when a city looks to attract us to come, they usually have a reason for it,” Allan Reid said in an interview. The former label executive is now president of The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that administers the awards.
“Obviously with the 150th, it felt like such a natural opportunity to bring what is Canada’s biggest cultural celebration to the nation’s capital,” Reid said.
It’s been a goal for Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson to attract the country’s biggest celebrations to the capital in Canada’s sesquicentennial year.
At Wednesday’s media conference at downtown hot spot Mercury Lounge, the mayor issued a challenge to the arts community.
“Our vision is to fill this city with music and create a weeklong musical celebration,” he said. “We want to showcase the depth and breadth of talent in our city, to all of Canada and the world. It will be about the great promise of emerging artists and the next generation of Canadian talent, and that’s happening right here in Ottawa.”
His “call to action” was also aimed at arts groups to offer classes, clinics and workshops to aspiring musicians during Juno week.
“Together, let’s seize this opportunity to encourage our artists, develop our cultural sector, and leave a legacy of art and entrepreneurship to jump-start the next 150 years of Canadian music,” Watson said.
Although the Junos are designed to recognize excellence in recorded music, in recent years the event has turned into a weeklong celebration of live music leading up to the televised awards gala. The multi-venue showcase of local and national acts feeds Ottawa’s desire to develop the live-music scene in hopes of generating economic benefits.
“Cities recognize that the Juno Awards are one of the biggest spotlights you can get on a music scene,” said Reid, noting that the economic spinoff of hosting the Junos is around $10 million.
To help Ottawa celebrate the Junos, Ottawa West-Nepean MPP Bob Chiarelli promised a provincial government contribution of up to $750,000.
Ottawa last welcomed the awards in 2012, when William Shatner hosted the telecast, Blue Rodeo was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Feist was the big winner.
That year, Ottawa’s MonkeyJunk was the hometown success story, earning the Juno for blues recording of the year.
Ottawa was also the host city in 2003, a year best remembered for the dazzling array of NHL-themed gowns sported by the telecast’s superstar host, Shania Twain. Ottawa singer-songwriter Lynn Miles was the local darling, taking home the award for the year’s best solo roots and traditional album.
The 2016 Juno celebration will take place in Calgary March 28 to April 3. Eligible acts have until Nov. 13to submit their work (for details, go to junoawards.ca).
Meanwhile, Ottawa is also actively campaigning for the 2017 Grey Cup game and an NHL outdoor hockey game.