The ’80s and ’90s were the golden age of the music video. MTV was a powerful musical, cultural, and even political force that extended beyond the United States. MuchMusic had the Canadian market all to itself and was minting new domestic stars by the dozen every single year. The same thing happened with video channels in the U.K., France, Germany, and Australia.

If you wanted to be a star, you had to have a video to go with every single you released. And because everyone was making videos, competition for attention was fierce.

Budgets got bigger as production values increased, with artsy themes, special effects, expensive sets, new video technology, and on-location shoots. Big-name directors were brought in. Some video directors were so good that they were able to make the jump to TV and movies. They became stars themselves: David Fincher, Spike Jonze, and Mark Romanek.

Releases of videos by big stars were cultural events and sometimes talked about more than the song itself. And that’s because videos were supposed to say something. A basic performance clip just didn’t cut it anymore.

Artists looking at their royalty statements got a shock. After being convinced to make a video for a million dollars—something that happened even with mid-level bands—they found that money being clawed back from their earnings. A video was promotion, and all promotion was a recoupable expense.

But that could be okay if the video helped the song and the album catch fire. If it resulted in more radio play and more CDs sold, then the cost was worth it.

There was some pushback from artists, but they were largely drowned out by the music video–making machine. There was just so much money at stake.

The music video had grown into a global industry. And then technology intervened, and the whole system seemed destined for extinction.

This is part two of the rise, fall, and future of the music video.

Songs heard on this show:

• Beastie Boys, Sabotage
• REM, Everybody Hurts
• Pearl Jam, Jeremy
• Smashing Pumpkins, Tonight Tonight
• Queens of the Stone Age, No One Knows
• Weezer, Pork and Beans
• OK Go, Here It Goes Again
• Linkin Park, In the End

 

Eric Wilhite has our playlist.

The Ongoing History of New Music can be heard on these stations.

• 102.1 The Edge/Toronto – Sunday night at 7pm
• Q107/Toronto – Sunday night at 9pm
• Live 88-5/Ottawa – Saturdays at 9am and Sundays at 6pm.
• 107.5 Dave-FM/Kitchener – Sunday nights at 11pm
• FM96/London – Sunday nights at 8pm
• Power 97/Winnipeg – Sunday nights at 10am and 10pm
• 107-3 The Edge/Calgary – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
• Sonic 102.9/Edmonton – Sunday at 8am and 8pm
• The Zone/Victoria – Sunday at 9am and 9pm
• The Fox/Vancouver – Sundays at 10anm and 10pm
• The Goat Network/Interior BC
• Surge 105/Halifax – Sunday at 7pm
• WAPS/WKTL The Summit/Arkon, Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown – Mon-Fri at 9pm

Don’t forget there’s a  podcast version (along with hundreds of others) available, in case you miss an episode. Get them for free wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Here’s a little-known fact about Dexter Holland, singer for the Offspring. This dude is a serious pilot. Ever since he was a kid, he wanted to fly planes. But if you’ve ever had that dream, you’ll know that it’s a pretty expensive pursuit–unless you want to join the Air Force, but that’s not an option for most people. But thanks to the fact that the Offspring has sold tens of millions of albums, Dexter can now indulge in this dream.

Not only does he have his pilot’s license, he also owns a fleet of planes.  There’s a single-engine prop, a twin-engine prop and his newest baby, an executive jet: a Cessna Citation with an anarchy symbol on the tail fin.  And yes, Dexter is certified to fly all of them.  In fact, when the Offspring is on tour, Dexter sometimes flies himself from gig to gig.

Ain’t it cool to be a rich rock star?

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

In their early days, The Beastie Boys were a trio of snotty ex-punk rockers who translated their attitude to the world of hip-hop. One of the big singles from their debut album, Licensed to Ill, was “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn,” which was written as a shot at heavy metal.

The title is a poke at No Sleep Til Hammersmith, a 1981 live album from Motorhead. All the lyrics were compiled by throwing up lines that made everyone in the band laugh. And for maximum effect, producer Rick Rubin knew the song needed a metal guitar riff. At the time, Rubin was also working with Slayer in the same studio complex. He had guitarist Kerry King drop in to play a guitar part—which, by the way, is intentionally out of tune in some places. King is also seen in the video pushing a gorilla offstage.

King wasn’t thrilled with the song because the Beasties weren’t his thing. According to lore, the Beasties weren’t crazy about him, either. Still, it worked.

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

TORONTO – Devin Vassell led all scorers with 21 points as the San Antonio Spurs rallied to a 110-107 win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

De’Aaron Fox added 20 points as San Antonio (42-16) extended its win streak to 10. Star centre Victor Wembanyama was limited to 12 points but had seven rebounds.

Dylan Harper had 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds off the bench for the Spurs.

Brandon Ingram had a double-double with 20 points and a season-high 11 rebounds as Toronto (34-25) led by as many as 15 points. Immanuel Quickley had 20 points and Scottie Barnes scored 15.

Barnes had been questionable before the game after he suffered a right quad contusion in the Raptors’ 116-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles started at centre over veteran Jakob Poeltl, who didn’t play against OKC the night before as he nurses a sore lower back.

Murray-Boyles left the game in the fourth quarter with a left thumb contusion and did not return.

Takeaways

Spurs: After Toronto led by as many as 15 points in the first three quarters — and led by 12 heading into the fourth — San Antonio stormed back, opening the final period on a 15-2 tear to close to within a point.

Raptors: Head coach Darko Rajakovic kept Poeltl away from Wembanyama, instead using Murray-Boyles and backup centre Sandro Mamukelashvili to slow down the Spurs all-star. That allowed Poeltl to go up against San Antonio’s backup bigs and take advantage of the mismatch. Poeltl finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Murray-Boyles had four points and five rebounds in 15 minutes of play.

Key moment

Wembanyana blocked Poeltl on a layup attempt with 43 seconds left to play, keeping Toronto four points behind San Antonio. Quickley scored on the next possession to pull the Raptors to within two.

Key stat

Despite Wembanyama averaging 11.3 rebounds per game this season, Toronto outrebounded the Spurs 50-40.

Up next

Toronto: Visits the Washington Wizards on Saturday.

San Antonio: Visits the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A Burnaby man who lost his entire family at last year’s Lapu Lapu Festival is calling on organizers to halt plans for this year’s event.

Alejandro Samper’s father, Daniel, his mother, Glitza, and his sister, Glitza, were among the victims when an SUV plowed through the festival grounds.

“This new Lapu Lapu Festival that’s happening this year, they need to stop that. Give us a break. Give us time to to heal, rather than going back at it to fill their pockets with money,” Samper told Global News.

When Filipino BC announced on social media that it is holding the event over three days, from April 17 to 19, it wrote, “We invite the community to join us in honouring lives lost, celebrating Filipino culture with care and continuing the work of healing together.”

But Samper said this announcement has only added to the raw wounds.

“It’s too early. They never consulted us victims. It’s very traumatizing. They’re not doing anything to help us, so they need to reconsider their actions,” he said.

When Global News interviewed chair RJ Aquino about calls to put the festival on hold, he evaded questions.

“I have no new information to share about Lapu Lapu Day at this time,” he repeatedly said.

When pressed to respond to criticism from victims of the tragedy, he still did not directly answer the question.

“I have no new information regarding Lapu Lapu Day or whatever else is, or any other related question about it,” Aquino said. “We have consulted with victims and families when we first announced it, and I have no new information.”

In its original social media post, Filipino BC said it “has reached out to those in our care and continues to engage with community members to ensure safety, intention and meaningful participation throughout the planning process.”

It also adds that it is working with the City of Vancouver, the province and first responders.

But Vancouver police said there hasn’t been any dialogue.

“Our Diversity Community and Indigenous Relations Section has reached out to Filipino BC and other Filipino organizations to offer support but they have not heard back yet,” Sgt. Adam Donaldson told Global News in an email.

Global News has confirmed with officials from the Italian Cultural Centre that this year the event will be hosted at their facility.

The parking lot will be closed to all vehicles.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim told Global News that the city will do everything it can to help host the event.

“We want to be very, as the City of Vancouver, we’re, you know, conscious of the fact that, you know, it was a very traumatic incident, a terrible incident that happened last year,” Sim said.

“And you know, different people in the community have, you know, different levels of trauma that we’re still going through. And we want to make sure that anything that is presented, you know, reflects the sensitivity around those issues.”

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

Despite being considered one of the best tools to reduce wildfire risk,  prescribed burns are not that common.

For instance, a controlled fire on Kelowna‘s Knox Mountain last October was one of only two performed in the city in 2025.

In neighbouring West Kelowna, there’s been plenty of fire damage over the years but not a prescribed burn.

“For us here, we’ve never done one here in West Kelowna,” said West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund.  “It’s very complex. It takes a lot of work to prepare in advance and the people who are doing it need to be highly trained and highly skilled.”

The types of resources used have been in shorty supply in Canada. However, a first-of-its-kind program hopes to change that.

Called the Canadian Prescribed Fire Training Program, it’s been co-developed by UBC-Okanagan and the Ontario-based Weston Family Foundation, which has donated $8 million to ignite it.

“To be more resilient to fire can only come if people are trained and they have the capacity to do this kind of work,” said Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, assistant professor with UBC-O’s Faculty of Science.

Bourbonnais, a former wildland firefighter himself,  is leading the charge and will help administer the nationwide program.

“Unlike suppression, where we’ll share resources across the country, in prescribed fire, we don’t have the framework for doing that right now,” Bourbonnais said. “It’s kind of created this capacity gap.”

The new program will train more people to safely plan and carry out prescribed burns, create national training standards and provide hands-on experience in the field.

The initiative will also support Indigenous-led fire stewardship and cultural burning practices.

“Every province and territory and jurisdiction does things a little bit different, and what that’s done is it’s limited opportunities for both people in wildfire agencies to get trained up,” Bourbonnais said. “It’s also limited opportunities for, you know, broader groups that might be involved in this, to get trained in prescribed fire.”

That training is critical when it comes to lighting fires to remove dangerous fuels with many factors to consider.

“We’ll assess the fuels, the topography, what we’re going to see for weather, the type of fire behaviour that we want to kind of put on the ground,” Bourbonnais said.

“We also want to make sure that we’re communicating well with the public around, you know, hey, this is happening.”

Brolund said prescribed burns have several advantages, including being cost-effective and impactful.

“It’s something that had been practiced for thousands of years but we lost it,” Brolund said. “And if we’re going to make a dent on a scale that is really measurable, we need to re-learn those skills and be able to apply fire to the ground over a large area to, you know, really have an impact on these fires that we face.”

The new program will help establish five regional hubs (Western, Northern, Central, Eastern, and Atlantic Canada) to tailor training to local ecosystems and governance realities.

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

An Okanagan Falls, B.C., family says their lives changed in an instant after a skiing accident left their 14-year-old son with serious injuries earlier this month.

“Our entire world was turned upside down in seconds,” said Sean Hall, Connell Hall’s father.

Connell Hall was skiing with friends at Apex Mountain Resort when he lost control coming down a hill.

“I think his speed got a little too high. He wasn’t able to navigate a turn, got some air,” Hall explained. “And when he landed, he landed on his front, on the side of his head, which is where he incurred the majority of the injuries.”

Connell was knocked unconscious. Ski patrol and medical staff rushed to treat him on the mountain before he was airlifted to Royal Inland Hospital for emergency care.

“I can honestly say a helmet saved my son’s life, and the Apex ski patrol saved my son’s life,” Hall said.

James Shalman, general manager of Apex Mountain Resort, says safety is always the top priority.

“We just want to make sure that everyone has a safe experience,” Shalman said. “When something happens, it’s all hands on deck to look after the person and make sure they have all the care they can.”

Connell remained unconscious for three to four days. He suffered a broken femur, a broken wrist and a traumatic brain injury.

Now awake and responsive, he faces a long road to recovery as he works to regain full cognitive function.

“His dry sense of humour, his sarcasm, it’s starting to poke through every once in a while,” Hall said. “For maybe 30 seconds, two or three times a day, I get my son back. And those moments are starting to happen more often.”

Connell is expected to be transferred long-term to BC Children’s Hospital for further treatment and rehabilitation. An online fundraiser has also been launched to help cover travel and medical expenses, as Connell’s mother is recovering from breast cancer surgery at the same time.

Hall says despite the challenges ahead, the experience has strengthened his family.

“It’s building resilience in my son and my daughter, teaching them how to push on through life,” he said. “Because it’s probably not going to get any easier.”

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

On the eve of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s official visit to Mumbai and New Delhi, a senior official said the government believed India was no longer plotting attacks on Canadians.

The official’s comments at a press background briefing were the first to suggest India had halted the clandestine operations that Canada has linked to a murder and other violence.

“We have a very robust diplomatic engagement, including between national security advisers, and I think we can say we’re confident that that activity is not continuing or we would not be having this type of discussion,” he said.

Pressed by reporters to clarify the comment, the official declined to elaborate, but added, “I really don’t think we’d be taking this trip if we thought these kind of activities would continue.”

The official spoke on the condition he would not be identified.

Canadian national security agencies believe India began a campaign in 2022 to kill activists in North America who support Khalistan, an independent state in the Sikh-majority Punjab.

Among those allegedly targeted was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in June 2023 as he was leaving the Surrey, B.C., temple where he served as president.

The RCMP believes the Indian government tapped gang leader Lawrence Bishnoi to arrange the murder. An Indian intelligence officer was also implicated in a plot to kill another Canadian in the U.S.

As the RCMP investigations progressed, Commissioner Mike Duheme announced that India’s government had been linked to a broad array of violence, often targeting pro-Khalistan activists.

Canada subsequently expelled six Indian diplomats. But since taking office, Carney has restored, and deepened, ties with India, which he is courting for a trade deal to offset a tariff-obsessed White House.

Since then, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which India had allegedly cooperated with to target opponents in Canada, has been tied to the extortion crisis in cities with large South Asian populations.

But at a briefing on Wednesday in advance of Carney’s arrival in India on Feb. 27, the senior government official seemed to suggest that New Delhi’s targeting of Canadians had stopped.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada called the official’s comment’s “utterly false” and said it “does not align with what Sikh Canadians are experiencing on the ground and what we are seeing firsthand.”

Only last weekend, Vancouver police warned Canadian Sikh activist Moninder Singh about an imminent threat to himself, his wife and their children. It is the fourth such warning he has received since 2022.

“The WSO is aware of incidents in the past six months of individuals being surveilled, harassed and intimidated by agents of the government of India,” the national Sikh group said in the statement.

“The Carney government has failed to hold India accountable or to create any meaningful safeguards to ensure that Sikh Canadians are protected from foreign interference and transnational repression. Declaring the problem resolved does not make it so.”

The senior officials would not answer when asked when they believed India had stopped its transnational repression and foreign interference campaign in Canada.

“We have a mature, robust discussions with the government of Indian on these issues. And we have robust safeguards in place to avoid foreign interference,” the official told reporters.

“I can’t give you a specific date of which individuals changed views. We’ve got a systematic engagement with the government in India, at senior officials level, at the ministerial level, at the leader level. And these issues have been raised regularly. And we are confident that we have the basis for further productive discussion.”

Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca

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

As Prime Minister Mark Carney gets set for his second circumnavigation of the globe in as many months, his chief political opponent will also head overseas, Global News has learned.

Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre will be in London, England, on Sunday and will then head to the German capital of Berlin, a senior official in Poilievre’s office said late Wednesday.

Details on Poilievre’s itinerary will be released shortly but the source says he is scheduled to give several speeches in addition to meeting with unnamed European officials.

It will be Poilievre’s first official overseas travel as Leader of the Official Opposition and comes while Carney is travelling to India, the first leg of a 10-day trip which will see him touch down in Australia and Japan before returning home.

It is rare — but not unprecedented — for an Opposition leader to travel abroad. In 2018, Andrew Scheer, then the Opposition leader but now the Conservative House Leader, travelled to India in the wake of a trip by Justin Trudeau to that country that produced significant controversy.

Scheer spent nine days in India and, at the time, his office said that travel was important and that “a Conservative government will dramatically expand the strategic relationship between our countries and our peoples and advance our shared security, prosperity and values. Unfortunately, Justin Trudeau’s disastrous trip to India damaged this key relationship and we must now work to repair it.”

Carney’s trip to India will include stops in Mumbai and New Delhi, but Carney’s office is stressing that the visit will be about the Canada-India defence and security relationship.

Carney, like any Canadian prime minister, travels at taxpayers’ expense and usually, though not always, travels on a Royal Canadian Air Force plane.

Poilievre’s trip is not paid for by taxpayers.Poilievre and his staff will travel on commercial aircraft paid for by donations to the Conservative Party of Canada.

Global News has reported that Carney, in his first year, has spent significantly more time on the road than either of his two predecessors, Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper. Within his first week in office, Carney flew to London for meetings with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and, in August, he was in Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Merz, Starmer and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Canada last June to participate in the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta.

 

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

Saskatoon’s city council is moving ahead with the acquisition of a downtown property that will be converted into a drop-in centre despite pushback from the local community.

Councillors voted Wednesday 7-4 in favour of purchasing a $1.64 million building located on Idylwyld Drive to provide services for people experiencing homelessness. Funding to pay for the building will come from a federal fund intended to support the city’s encampment response plan.

However, businesses and community members near the new site are speaking out, expressing concerns about their safety and how it will affect their operations.

“I’ve dealt with broken windows, vandalism, break-ins, theft and ultimate harassment. The fear is real, and as a business owner, I pay,” said Tamara Bowman, owner of Metric Design, a nearby interior design business.

Bowman says her business, located only a block from the new drop-in at 130 Idylwyld Dr., has operated in the city for 25 years, and that since the pandemic, she has noticed an uptick in disturbances. Now, she says she fears for her safety when going to work after regular business hours.

The new drop-in centre will serve as a longer-term replacement for the existing one at 325 Avenue C South. The provincial government is responsible for the drop-in programming, but the city was tasked by the province with providing the facility.

Bowman told councillors she is in favour of offering support, but questions whether the downtown location is the most suitable for a drop-in centre.

“The wrong location is not compassionate,” Bowman said.

City councillors have until the end of March to allocate the federal funding to the new drop-in centre before it expires.

Shawna Nelson, executive director of Downtown Saskatoon Business Improvement District (BID), also raised concerns Wednesday, saying councillors were not given enough time to consider the move.

“I just don’t think that there has been great communication, transparency, and due diligence when it comes to this whole site selection,” said Nelson.

Businesses share the same feelings about the time crunch.

“We were not consulted or even informed prior to this announcement,” Sheryl Piteau, owner of Prairie Optometry, told councillors.

“I don’t think my experience was alone because when I spoke with neighbours on Wall Street, they had no idea. They heard it from me, who I had heard it from the news.”

A proposed daycare is also planning to open across the street in the spring. This child-care centre will accommodate around 90 children aged 18 months to six years and will also feature a fenced outdoor play space on an existing parking lot.

Coun. Bev Dubois questioned the proposed daycare’s proximity to the drop-in centre, asking whether the owners are aware of the plans.

City administration says the operators are mainly supportive of the drop-in and that it plans to work with them to mitigate any potential concerns.

The Idylwyld drop-in is expected to open by Nov. 1, and city administration is expected to report to city council on the future use of the 325 Avenue C building before this date.

City councillors also passed motions on Wednesday asking the city council to provide a report on the feasibility of a 250-metre buffer between drop-in centres and shelters and daycares and to provide a coordinated community safety plan for the new drop-in centre.

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