Before record sales collapsed, everyone made most of their money from selling music. The idea of licensing your music for a commercial was considered the height of selling out. Today, though, this is considered to be a normal and necessary way of surviving as a musician.

But someone had to be first, right? But who?

It’s generally accepted that the Velvet Underground was the first true alternative band. And fifteen years after Lou Reed left the band, he might have been the first even alt-rock artist to “sell out” by licensing a song to a TV commercial.

In 1985, he appeared in an ad for a Honda scooter with his song “Walk on the Wild Side” in the background. He took some stick for it—that sort of thing just wasn’t done back then—but he did help start the destruction of the stigma of using actual songs in TV commercials.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

True or false: Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers was in a band with Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten. True.

It was 1983 and the Chili Peppers were still an unknown group, and things weren’t going well. Flea thought maybe it was time to leave. At the same time, it just so happened that Johnny’s post-Pistols band, Public Image Ltd., was in LA looking for a new bass player. Flea went to the audition, which consisted of just him and the drummer jamming onstage.

Out in the audience in the dark was Johnny, who was listening intently. Flea completely blew everyone away and was offered the job on the spot–which he accepted.  All he had to do was come back in the morning and sign the contracts.

Flea went home but immediately had second thoughts. He and a buddy stayed up doing heroin all night–and at seven in the morning, Flea called Johnny and said, “No, thanks.”  Probably a good move, huh? Turning down the job, I mean. Not the heroin part.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A motion for information and reporting on Bell’s AI Data Centre’s impacts on Regina residents sparked lengthy discussions from residents, experts and the President of Bell AI Fabric.

Mayor Chad Bachynski recused himself due to concerns about a perceived conflict of interest, and multiple delegates voiced their takes on the proposed quadrupling of Bell’s AI Data Centre Project.

Councillors and residents seemed to be split fairly evenly on the issue, and ultimately, decisions lie in the hands of the RM of Sherwood.

Worth noting, Councillors revealed that they were not informed of the city’s decision to waive their rights to a secondary concept plan review for the original project. And a notice of motion was submitted by Ward 5 City Councillor Sarah Turnbull, seeking the right to review the expansion.

The discussions were intense, and as of publication, the council had not made a decision on whether to request a report from City Administration.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The Vancouver Aquatic Centre cannot be rebuilt as a 50-metre pool because of unsettled land claim issues with the city’s First Nations, according to the Park Board Chair.

Tom Digby is running for re-election as a Park Board commissioner with the Vancouver Green Party and was the Park Board chair when the decision was made to demolish the aging Vancouver Aquatic Centre.

The Park Board has previously stated that in order to rebuild a 50 metre pool, the facility’s footprint would need to be expanded to meet modern safety and competition rules.

“The province owns the lands there and the province refuses to allow us to expand the footprint, mainly because they haven’t settled up land claims with the First Nations on this very sensitive foreshore land,” Digby said in an interview with Global News Wednesday.

Chief Wayne Sparrow with Musqueam Indian Band confirmed a request was made to expand the footprint of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, saying a letter was sent from the province to the MST Development Corporation, a partnership of the Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation.

“(The province) wanted us to do a lease to the city,” Sparrow said. “Naturally, we wanted to sit down and have some discussion because it’s Crown land; there’s been a lot of issues with the Cowichan Case and third-party land.”

According to Sparrow, the province was proposing to lease the land to the City of Vancouver for as little as $1.

“If they lease it for a dollar, what’s our accommodation, 3 cents?” said Sparrow. “I keep stressing that the Crown has a duty to consult and accommodate us.”

So far there has been no meeting between the Province and MST Development Corporation, but Sparrow said it could still happen.

“We are always open to conversations; it’s Crown land and whatever the government decides they want to do about it, they have to come and talk to us.”

The comments come after a community group called Protecting Our Vancouver Aquatic Centre (POVAC) was granted an interim injunction in the B.C. Court of Appeal to immediately pause all demolition work until after the municipal election.

The group’s director and park board candidate for TEAM, Jon Girard, said the decision is a win for democracy.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome,” Girard said. “At minimum, when this facility is renovated or rebuilt, it needs to stay a 50m pool”.

The work has been paused until at least Nov. 3, one day after the first scheduled Park Board meeting.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The NDP has released costings for its British Columbia election campaign promises that would see the province’s record deficit fall by about $2 billion over two years.

The costings released hours ahead of the campaign’s only leaders’ debate show a deficit of about $12 billion by 2028/29, down from a forecast of $14 billion this fiscal year.

A statement from the party says new commitments made during campaigning for the Oct. 24 election would be paid for by asking “the top 3.88 per cent of income earners to contribute a bit more,” and by continuing economic growth.

The costings show a “platform surplus” of $581 million by 2028/29, which would combine with previous forecasts to reduce the deficit by a little over $2 billion.

The BC Greens released their costings on Tuesday, while the B.C. Conservatives have yet to release their figures.

NDP Leader David Eby says in the party’s statement that interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson’s plans would “blow a multi-billion-dollar hole in the budget,” citing tax cuts promised by the Official Opposition.

Eby has overseen the ballooning of the deficit since inheriting a budget surplus when he took over from former premier John Horgan in 2022.

He said the party was “being upfront about how we pay for our plan.”

“Our plan is fully costed and focused on what matters most to working families in uncertain times,” Eby said, adding that British Columbians would be protected from rising costs at the gas pump and grocery till.

The costings include $1 billion in new revenue from income tax increases on the “top 3.88 per cent” as well as $730 million from “targeted economic growth.”

The Greens’ platform promises new initiatives in health care, education and other social services worth almost $9.3 billion per year over the next two fiscal years, with new revenue coming from a one-time tax on “excessive wealth.”

The party says the new levy would raise $22.2 billion in its first year and total additional revenue would top out at $25.3 billion in 2027-28

The Greens say their fiscal plan would raise additional revenue from 2028-29 through higher taxes on the wealthiest British Columbians, and nobody “who works for an income” would pay a single dollar more in tax than they currently do.

In other developments on the campaign trail:

DOERKSON PROMISES LEGISLATION TO ELECTIONS

Doerkson has promised legislation to prevent overlapping provincial and municipal campaigns if elected.

Doerkson said in a message posted on social media that his party would pass legislation to prohibit a provincial election within 60 days of municipal election dates.

The provincial election called by Eby takes place one week after municipal elections in B.C. on Oct. 17.

The timing of the snap provincial vote has been criticized by Eby’s opponents and the Union of B.C. Municipalities.

EBY UNVEILS FORESTRY PLAN

Eby unveiled the party’s forestry plan, promising to create a new funding stream to retrofit mills in B.C.

The funding stream would be part of a permanent B.C. Manufacturing Jobs Fund that would allow for retrofitted mills to produce value-added products to facilitate export to non-U.S.-markets

The plan also calls for a new $120-million fund over the next two years that would provide “targeted support” for workers and communities of mills at risk of closing.

Eby said the NDP would also ensure consistent access to fibre and speed up permitting, although no details on how an NDP government will do so were provided.

CENTREBC UNVEILS HOUSING PLATFORM

CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko said her party would double the BC Builds program to create 20,000 below-market homes by 2031 if elected.

The plan is part of the party’s housing platform released Wednesday morning, calling for standardized provincial housing approvals by January 2028.

The party would also boost the annual renters’ tax credit to $600.

Neither Sturko nor OneBC interim leader Dallas Brodie are participating in tonight’s televised leaders debate.

ONEBC LOSES CANDIDATE IN NORTH VANCOUVER-SEYMOUR

Elections BC said two candidates have withdrawn from the upcoming provincial election.

The provincial election agency said OneBC’s Frederick Thiele had withdrawn in North Vancouver-Seymour, although his name will still appear on ballots because they have already been printed.

Elections BC said there will be signage and staff at voting places informing voters that Thiele has withdrawn in the riding that was won by the NDP’s Susie Chant in the last two elections.

Independent candidate Gerry Lenoski withdrew as a candidate in New Westminster-Coquitlam.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A 21-year-old man is dead and three other people including a baby are seriously injured after a motorcycle hopped a curb and crashed into a bus shelter in Edmonton.

Police say an 18-year-old motorcyclist was racing his 2004 Yamaha YZFR6 motorcycle at a high rate of speed against an unknown BMW vehicle northbound on 97 Street from 118 Avenue at about 8:55 p.m. Tuesday.

The bike then continued on the sidewalk before it struck a bus shelter at approximately 120 Avenue, where multiple people were waiting for a bus.

A 21-year-old man, 46-year-old man and 18-year-old woman were at the bus shelter, along with the woman’s 10-month-old son.

All four were taken to hospital by paramedics, but police said the 21-year-old was pronounced deceased. The 46-year-old and 18-year-old both received serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while the 10-month-old boy is said to have received serious and potentially life-threatening injuries.

The motorcycle rider sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital by paramedics. He is being charged with dangerous operation causing death and three counts of dangerous operation causing bodily harm.

The Edmonton Police Service says its major collision investigations section is investigating the incident and is asking witnesses to come forward and if anyone has information about the unknown BMW, they are also asked to contact police.

Anyone with dashcam footage of the collision or who witnessed the incident is asked to contact police at 780-423-4567 or call #377 from a mobile phone. Information can also be provided to Crime Stoppers anonymously.

—with files from Global News’ Sarah Ryan

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

SURREY – A shaky start to the CFL season didn’t dim the B.C. Lions’ big aspirations.

Inside the locker room, there’s always been a belief that the team could achieve great things this year, said defensive lineman Casey Sayles.

“Sometimes good things take time to kind of develop,” he said. “But we knew the team that we were and that we have. And it’s been great to have the journey.”

After starting the 2026 campaign with a 1-5 record, the Lions (10-6) have wins in nine of their last 10 games.

Defence has been a strength over the stretch, with B.C. giving up the second-fewest points (418), touchdowns (42) and net yards (5,478) in the league over the course of the season.

Sayles, a 31-year-old American, joined the Lions in free agency after three seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and a Grey Cup win with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2021.

It took time for the defensive group to come together, he said.

“I think the first game of the year against Saskatchewan, I look around and realize I haven’t played with any of these guys yet,” said Sayles, who’s tallied 15 total tackles — including three for a loss — three sacks and one forced fumble this season.

“So I think that gelling point and journey along the way the last three months kind of ironed out the little details. We’ve come a long way with kind of knowing the full defence. It takes a little time but I’m glad to be where we are right now.”

Canadian receiver Jevon Cottoy watched several of the early-season losses from the sidelines after picking up a thigh injury in B.C.’s first game of the year.

From there, he saw a group of players who stuck to the process thaT head coach Buck Pierce and his staff laid out in training camp, even when the final score wasn’t in their favour.

“It’s football — there’s ups and downs. Not every game’s gonna look perfect, not every play is gonna look perfect, right?” Cottoy said.

“Guys just committing to it and not being fazed by losing one or two or three. And then when we start winning, we know how that feeling is when we were 1-5, right? So, having that in the back of our heads and making sure that we can never get back to that point.”

A decisive 41-20 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday clinched B.C.’s spot in the playoffs.

Notching yet another win over the Stampeders in Calgary on Friday would see the Lions host a post-season game. With help on the out-of-town scoreboard, the team could still leapfrog the Edmonton Elks (12-4) and take first place in the CFL’s West Division.

}I feel like we’re on the right track and we’re getting hot at the right time,” said Cottoy, who has 669 receiving yards and four touchdowns over 10 games this year. “We’re getting better at the right time. And as long as we continue to do that, come playoff time, we should be successful.”

With two games to go on the regular-season schedule, Pierce believes his team still has room for improvement.

“You look at every game in its entirety, and we focus on playing physical, playing clean and playing for each other,” the coach said. “And that’s what it is going into each week. So we believe if we do those things, then we’re going to win.”

That belief has been there all year, Pierce added, through the wins and the losses, within games and on the practice field.

“What I like the most about the group is they believe if we play to our standard and we take care of our business throughout the week and we do things the right way, that good things are going to happen for us,” he said.

“No matter what happens in the game, we’re going to be able to find a way to win.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Céline Dion is joining the ranks of some of the world’s most recognizable names in miniature form, with a new Barbie inspired by one of her most memorable performances.

Mattel has created a collectible doll modelled after the Quebec-born superstar’s look at the 1998 Oscars, where Dion performed “My Heart Will Go On” in a navy blue gown and a blue diamond necklace from the movie Titanic.

The doll recreates the signature look, offering fans a miniature tribute to one of the singer’s most memorable moments on stage.

“It’s about time,” one fan said at Montreal’s Barbie Expo. “We have Cher right here, we have Beyoncé, we have a bunch of people, but we don’t have the greatest singer in the world?”

Dion joins a growing lineup of celebrity singers and fashion-inspired dolls, many of which are on display at the downtown Montreal exhibit.

For fans in Quebec, however, Dion’s addition to the collection hits particularly close to home.

“It looks a lot like her. It’s really, really accurate,” one teenage girl told Global News. “It’s really beautiful. I think it’s a great thing because Céline Dion deserves it.”

The doll comes as the 58-year-old singer makes her long-awaited return to the stage. Last month, Dion launched a sold-out residency in Paris, marking her first full-length concert in six years after revealing she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a rare disorder that affects her mobility.

Fans say the collectible offers another way to celebrate the woman behind the music.

“It’s her work ethic that I really admire,” one fan told Global News. “She really works hard at what she does, and she deserves it.”

Organizers at the Barbie Expo say they do not yet know if or when the Dion doll will become part of their collection.

Fans can buy the doll online for $92.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Twenty-two years after stabbing his estranged wife to death in his penthouse apartment in northwest Toronto, 65-year-old Juan Antonio Avalos has been found guilty of manslaughter in an uncontested, one-day trial.

The guilty verdict after a judge-alone trial comes just days before his second-degree murder trial was set to begin.

In August 2024, Avalos was extradited back to Canada from El Salvador.

Avalos had been wanted for two decades for the death of his wife, 26-year-old Rosaura Tolentino Ramos.

On Wednesday, Avalos told court through a translator he was “innocent” of manslaughter. Crown Counsels Scott Arnold and Ysolt Brar then proceeded to read out an uncontested statement of facts. Defence counsel Ian McCuaig did not call any evidence.

The court heard that Avalos immigrated to Canada from El Salvador in 1985 and was a Canadian citizen at the time of the incident in 2004.

Avalos and Ramos met through a priest at a community centre in the fall of 2003 and after briefly dating, they were married in late November that year.

In late January 2024, Avalos was arrested and charged with assaulting his wife. He denied the allegations and was set to go to trial in February 2005.

From January until August 2004, Avalos was subject to bail conditions which restricted his contact with Ramos and by August 2004, Ramos had moved into her sister’s home.

According to the facts, Avalos went to Ramos’ sister’s home on Aug. 29, 2004 in the afternoon or evening.

Hours later, after 10 p.m., Avalos and Ramos were together in his penthouse apartment at 2397 Finch Ave. W.  The facts state they were the only two present in the unit during the late evening of Aug. 29, 2004 and the early morning hours of Aug. 30, 2004.

A neighbour who lived in a 12th floor unit, directly below Avalos’ penthouse apartment, awoke to the sounds of a loud Spanish argument coming from outside her apartment.

“It sounded like it was coming from above. She heard a man with a deep voice shouting and calling the woman “puta” while the distressed woman pleaded “Santa Maria” and “No Dios” (meaning “No, God”). After several minutes, the confrontation ended with a “horrible” female scream lasting a few seconds, which was followed by complete silence,” said Arnold, reading from the facts.

Early the next morning, the neighbour was out on her balcony and heard the distinctive sound of water and a broom scrubbing an adjacent balcony or living room floor.

Arnold told court that surveillance video from the building on Aug. 30, 2024 captured Avalos leaving his penthouse apartment around 6 a.m. with two suitcases. He was seen driving out of the parkade before returning to the building around 7:30 a.m., going back up to the penthouse and leaving again with more bags.

Avalos was captured on video surveillance just after 8 a.m. at a nearby CIBC taking $1,000 in cash out of an ATM. Later that afternoon, he traveled to the Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Mich. where he purchased a one-way ticket to El Salvador, which he paid for in cash.

He boarded the flight at 7:08 p.m. After layovers in Orlando and Los Angeles, he arrived in El Salvador on Aug. 31, 2004.

That same day, Ramos’ sister reported her missing to police. Officers went to Avalos’ apartment to do a well-being check. When they arrived, they found her lifeless body lying on the bed in the bedroom. She was still wearing the same red top she was wearing on Aug. 29, 2004.

Ramos had a stab wound to the left side of her neck and a kitchen knife was located close to her head. An autopsy revealed the cause of death was a stab wound to the neck.

Avalos was arrested in El Salvador on Jan. 24, 2024 on the strength of a red notice. He was subsequently held in a state prison pending extradition proceedings.

Toronto police officers were advised by Interpol Operations of Avalos’ arrest and submitted a request for extradition. He was subsequently arrested by Canadian authorities on August 15, 2024 at Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

The facts did not state where Avalos was found in El Salvador at the time of his arrest.

Court heard that the second-degree murder trial for Avalos was set to start next Monday and expected to take four weeks. Those dates have now been vacated.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A sex offender, who is considered at risk of reoffending, has been released from the Stony Mountain Institution and is expected to live in Winnipeg, police said.

Cody Lance George Klyne, 38, was convicted of sexual assault causing bodily harm in 2023. Despite participating in some treatment programming, he is considered to be at risk of reoffending against teenage and adolescent girls, the Winnipeg Police Service and Manitoba Integrated High Risk Sex Offender Unit cautioned in a community notification.

Klyne was released Wednesday, after serving part of the five-year, 104-day sentence he was handed in February of 2023, in relation to a sexual assault that occurred three years prior.

In August of 2020, the man approached two teenage girls he did not know with a knife before violently sexually assaulting one of the girls, aged 15.

“The incident involved threats, sexual violence, and forcibly confining the 15-year-old victim in a secluded area,” police said, noting that it points to a “serious escalation in the severity of Klyne’s offending cycle.”

The 38-year-old man has been convicted of robbery, two counts of assault, assaulting a peace officer and three weapons-related offences. The courts also deemed him guilty of five instances of failing to comply with a probation order and four counts of failure to comply with a recognizance order.

Police describe him as five feet nine inches tall and 200 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Klyne also has several tattoos – including one on his chest that says $ Player for Life and a cross on his right forearm.

The man is also inked on his upper arms, right leg and upper back, according to police.

In addition to his lifetime weapons prohibition, Klyne is also subject to parole conditions, it added.

The stipulations of his release include not consuming drugs or alcohol, not contacting people under 18 and avoiding areas children are known to gather. He also must report his relationships to the Parole Board of Canada and avoid contact with people who use drugs, as well as criminals. The 38-year-old will also be subject to a curfew.

Police said no vigilante activity against Klyne will be tolerated.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.