Juno Awards postponed again

Organizers of the Juno Awards say they’re postponing this year’s 50th anniversary show in Toronto until June 6, as COVID-19 cases rage.

It’s the second time the country’s biggest night in music has been pushed this year, as the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences contends with ever-changing Ontario rules meant to slow the spread of the virus.

The annual celebration had already been moved to May 16 from an originally planned date in mid-March, under hopes that warmer weather might allow some performances to be held outdoors with safety efforts in place.

Complicating matters is the award show’s role in supporting Canada’s music industry, which is caught in the middle of Ontario COVID guidelines that favour film and TV productions over streaming concerts.

Earlier this month, several Ontario concert venue owners called on Premier Doug Ford’s government to offer more transparency around why his “emergency brake” plan outlawed live streaming concerts at local venues while film and TV shoots could continue to move ahead.

As a nationally televised broadcast put on by Insight Productions, the Juno Awards would likely qualify under Ford’s current COVID-19 production rules. But on the other hand, the show would be packed with live performances from the very industry that’s being prevented from streaming in small concert venues.