By Fiona Story
Ottawa is following in the footsteps of St. John’s, Nfld., and undertaking the demanding task of hosting this year’s Canadian Juno Awards.
After beating out cities like Montreal, Calgary and even Toronto, Ottawa should use the opportunity to bolster the city’s image. After all, the Junos are a proven economy booster. The awards ceremony added $25 million to Newfoundland’s economy last year.
Music industry insiders already have Ottawa limo services and hotels nearly booked solid during the Juno weekend of April 4-6. And the city is planning a slew of festivities leading up to the ceremony.
But can conservative Ottawa hope to hold a candle to the energy of the Junos in St. John’s? The east coast city really drew attention to an awards ceremony many Canadians couldn’t have been bothered with before.
Here in Ottawa, the show is being held at the Corel Centre, smack in the middle of nowhere, as opposed to Mile One Stadium in the heart of downtown St. John’s.
Not to mention this year’s Juno ceremonies are taking place at sites scattered throughout the Ottawa area like the National Arts Centre and the casino in Gatineau. Last year’s were held in the same area, all within walking distance of each other.
Peter Honeywell, executive director of the Council for the Arts in Ottawa, admits St. John’s was a great host community and tighter-knit in both building placement and people. Last year’s Junos saw celebrities mixing with the fans. That night, it wasn’t unusual to be drinking at the Grapevine, a Water Street bar, with David Usher or at the Cotton Club, a St. John’s strip joint, with Shaggy.
Don’t hold your breath for a repeat of the mixed bar scene this year. Rumour is parties are private and market hotspots like Social are already booked for invite-only soirees.
So what about local artists? Where does Ottawa talent get to shine in all of this?
According to National Capital Commission marketing chief Guy Laflamme, activities featuring local artists will be held in the weeks leading up to the Junos. However, there are no plans to showcase local artists in the televised ceremony as happened last year in a jam onstage with homegrown band Great Big Sea.
There just doesn’t seem to be the same buzz about the Junos this year. Ottawa doesn’t appear to exude excitement as the host city, preferring a shot of the Chateau Laurier on the Junos Web site unlike Newfoundland’s bid for tourism and shots of the provincial flag plastered across TV screens in the months leading up to the Junos.
After all, Ottawa already does festivals and the Junos just happens to be the one sandwiched between Winterlude and the Tulip Festival.
Yet, there seems to be a general optimism among organizers that the city will hold its own as a host of the biggest night in the Canadian music industry.
“Ottawa knows how to throw a party,” says Honeywell, who uses the excitement surrounding the 2001 Jeux de la Francophonie as an example. “There was a spontaneity in the air then and street performances were everywhere. I think Juno organizers hope to re-create that kind of atmosphere.”
No two Junos can or should ever be the same, and every city has its stamp. But I think St. John’s holds the patent on spontaneity. Ottawa likes convention.