Classic rock band the Guess Who and Grammy-winning polka king Walter Ostanek have been selected to receive stars on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto's downtown theater district. The musical performers will join eleven other sports, arts and entertainment figures at a gala ceremony on June 1st. The final recipients were chosen from a list of possible candidates that included musicians Leonard Cohen , Shania Twain and the Tragically Hip. Hockey great Wayne Gretzky and actor/comedian Dan Aykroyd also made the preliminaries but were passed over.

Over 40,000 public votes came in this year, from which about thirty of the top nominees are selected by a board of directors, made up of people from the sports and entertainment industries. Now in its fourth year, The Walk of Fame, which honored Neil Young in 2000, honors Canada's "extraordinary achievers" in the above mentioned fields.

According to the guidelines, eligible candidates must have been born in Canada, spent their formative or creative years in Canada, been successful for a minimum of a decade and have a body of work recognized for its impact on Canada's cultural heritage.

There are thirty-eight stars presently on the stretch of sidewalk on Toronto's King Street West.

Joining the Guess Who and Ostanek at the June gala outside Roy Thomson Hall will be actor Leslie Nielsen, champion figure skater Kurt Browning, novelist/poet Margaret Atwood, NHL legend Jean Beliveau, baseball pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, late sprinter Harry Jerome, actor/director/writer Robert Lepage, film director Ivan Reitman, ballet dancer Veronica Tennant, Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak and opera singer Teresa Stratas.

Smaller unveilings will be held over the summer and fall. As opposed to the original Hollywood version, Canadian honorees do not pay for their stars.

KAREN BLISS
(February 21, 2001)