Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Several Canadians could leave the Grammy Awards with an armful of trophies on Sunday, but most of them aren't household names.
While Bryan Adams, Drake and Michael Buble are all contenders this year, many of the other homegrown nominees on the leaderboard are professionals behind the scenes who added pop and fizz to some of last year's biggest records.
They include Winnipeg-born mixer Jesse Ray Ernster whose work on Doja Cat's "Woman" is up for record of the year, and Bragg Creek, Alta.-raised music engineer Shawn Everett who contributed to Adele's "30," among the album of the year contenders.
There's also North Vancouver's Tobias Jesso Jr., a musician who found success writing songs for others, including Adele and Harry Styles who together earned him three nods, including one for songwriter of the year.
Adele also proved a good-luck charm for visual maestro Xavier Dolan, the acclaimed Montreal filmmaker who directed "Easy on Me," which cradles a best music video nomination.
Most of the 91 Grammy categories will be awarded Sunday at an industry ceremony before the broadcast. The premiere ceremony, as it's called, streams live on the Grammys website hosted by U.S. comedian Randy Rainbow, who's up for best comedy album. The 65th Grammy Awards air on Citytv and CBS.
Here are five other Canadian highlights to watch for on Sunday:
Audio engineer and mixer Serban Ghenea isn't as recognizable as the pop stars he helps sound their best, but you've probably heard some of his work. This year's six-time nominee was born in Romania before moving to Canada. And he has a staggering four projects named in the album of the year category -- Coldplay's "Music Of The Spheres," Lizzo's "Special," Adele's "30" and Mary J. Blige's "Good Morning Gorgeous." His studio time with Blige also secured a slot for record of the year. The Grammys also recently added Ghenea to the list of names in the running for best dance/electronic recording on David Guetta and Bebe Rexha's chart smash "I'm Good (Blue)." Those nominations put him ahead of Montreal classical conductor and pianist Yannick Nezet-Seguin who has five this year.
Drake's plan to sit out the Grammys hit a snag when his collaborations with other artists locked him four nominations. Even though the Toronto rapper didn't submit his own 2022 album "Honestly, Nevermind," in line with his Grammys boycott in recent years, he couldn't escape the accolades. He earned two spots in the best rap song category for his collaboration with Jack Harlow on "Churchill Downs" and his role on Future's "Wait For U." He's also an album of the year contender for his contributions to the song "Heated" on Beyonce's "Renaissance." And he's up for best melodic rap performance for Future's "Wait For U."
Speaking of Beyonce, she's just one of the many musicians who've benefited from the magic touch of Toronto producer Boi-1da, born Matthew Samuels. He has four nominations this year, including two in the album of the year category for Bey's "Renaissance" and Kendrick Lamar's "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers." He also received a nod as part of the Drake and Harlow nomination for best rap song, and his prolific work landed him in the producer of the year category.
Justin Bieber's feature-length concert film "Our World" and Neil Young's documentary "A Band A Brotherhood A Barn" are both chasing the best music film prize. Both of them already have two Grammys to their name. Four-time Grammy winner Michael Buble's "Higher" is up for traditional pop vocal album, while Bryan Adams has a best rock performance nod for his song "So Happy It Hurts." And the Weeknd's tour opener Kaytranada, a two-time Grammy-winning DJ and producer, could scoop a third for "Intimidated," featuring H.E.R., which is going for best dance/electronic recording. Rising Montreal star Allison Russell, who last summer played alongside Joni Mitchell at the Newport Folk Festival appearance, is looking for her first win with a nomination for best American roots performance for "Prodigal Daughter," alongside Aoife O'Donovan.
Montreal band Arcade Fire's "We" landed among the best alternative music album contenders, which caused a stir in some circles because last year lead singer Win Butler faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct that he has denied. While those allegations led some radio stations to pull the band's music from the airwaves, Arcade Fire's nod appears as a vote of support from the music industry. Arcade Fire is also nominated at the 2023 Juno Awards for group of the year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2023.
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
Three officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said.
A Calgary elementary school principal has been charged with possession of child pornography, authorities announced Monday.
The Vancouver Island Health Authority is downplaying what staff describe as a cockroach infestation in a medical unit of Saanich Peninsula Hospital.
Toronto police say 12 people are facing a combined 102 charges in connection with an investigation into a major credit fraud scheme.
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
Britney Spears and her father Jamie Spears will avoid what could have been a long, ugly and revealing trial with a settlement of the lingering issues in the court conservatorship that controlled her life and financial decisions for nearly 14 years.
The clock is ticking ahead of the deadline to file a 2023 income tax return. A personal finance expert explains why you should get them done -- even if you owe more than you can pay.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.