If you’re a musical artist and start to do well, the point will come when you need a manager.
The manager is the person who looks after all the business stuff so the musician can get on with the business of making music. Managers deal with booking gigs, marketing, promotions, promoters, publicity, support staff, and road crews.
They collect the money and pay the bills. And they oversee all the infrastructure of your career: lawyers, accountants, and all the other people involved in running the business that is you and your music.
But it doesn’t stop there. Managers can also function as advisors, sounding boards, fixers, father and mother figures, referees, bail bondsmen, bouncers, psychologists, and even amateur physicians and pharmacists—for good and not-so-good reasons.
They need to be on top of trends, have all the right connections, understand audiences, be able to navigate record companies, and translate contracts. It is a 24/7 job.
They are incentivized by their commission, which is usually somewhere around 15%, so the more you make as an artist, the more they make. If they’re good at their job, your career grows and the money rolls in for everyone.
The bottom line is that a manager can make or break a career. These are the stories of nine managers who have had an impact—mostly good, but also, you know, not-so-great.
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Artists and their vices often go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that drugs often find their way into lyrics. But if you had to guess who sang about the drugs the most, which genres would win? That’s what Addictions.com wanted to find out in a recent study.
By analyzing the lyrics of over 1.1 million songs and scrubbing for phrases or slang that referenced specific drugs (outside of alcohol, by the way), Addictions.com discovered something interesting. The genre that mentions drugs most often is country, with an average of 1.6 mentions per song. Jazz and pop follow closely behind, while rock takes fourth place. And rap? Believe it or not, rap actually mentions drugs less often than even folk, at less than 1.3 references per song.
And, if you were curious, the most mentioned drug is consistently marijuana, with over 30% of drug references across all genres sticking to pot.
If you’re a fan of the early days of British punk, you might remember a character named Soo Catwoman who was often seen hanging around with The Sex Pistols.
You couldn’t miss her. Her hair was shaved really short on top and had tuffs of hair sticking up on either side, making it look like she had the ears of a cat. When punk rock burned out, she faded into the background and lived quietly until she died in late 2025 at the age of 71. But before she died, her look had a sizeable influence on the fashion world. Fashion houses like Chanel took cues from here, and Keith Flint, the late dancer and frontman for The Prodigy, styled his hair on Soo Catwoman.
Do a quick Google on her, and you’ll see what I mean.
Consumer Matters reporter Anne Drewa explains how a shortage of memory chips around the world could lead to a higher sticker prices for consumer electronics.
Tech experts are warning that a global memory chip shortage driven by technology giants is causing prices to soar for many consumer electronic products.
“All these AI data centres that are powering all these AI tools, they need huge amounts of RAM and they are basically gobbling it up right now,” said Mike Agerbo from GetConnected Media.
Memory chips or RAM (Random Access Memory) are in short supply around the world. RAM allows your computer to access data quickly and efficiently; however, major tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, and Meta are buying up the global supply to fuel their AI centres.
That’s leaving less RAM for the traditional electronics market. Given the shortage, industry experts predict prices for many consumer electronic products like laptops, tablets, and even smartphones will increase by as much as 20 per cent or higher.
“I think we’re going to be looking at rapid price increases over the next 12 to 24 months minimum,” Dwight Dubowits of North Vancouver’s Concept Computers told Consumer Matters.
Dubowits has been in the computer business for over 40 years and says the shortage of RAM is causing a seismic shift in the industry.
“I think the $600 laptop and cheap desktop market has pretty much disappeared at this point,” he said.
“Entry level is in the $800-$900 range. We see that going as high as $1,200 or $1,300 just to get a basic function, reasonable quality laptop computer.”
Dubowits also says some local dealers are being forced to reduce costs by offering systems with less RAM. “Consumers should ensure that these systems are, in fact, upgradable,” said Dubowits. “Many systems, especially laptops, have limited or no capacity for adding more RAM post-purchase.”
The shortage is also hitting the gaming industry especially hard. GamerTech Toronto builds custom gaming desktop computers and says it’s spending four times as much for RAM on its computers.
“Basically, the entire cost to build the computer has increased and so we are having to pass that along for the actual sale price,” said Niam Radia from GamerTech Toronto. “This may just be the new normal for RAM pricing and PC part pricing overall.”
Three major companies manufacture and control most of the world’s memory chips and experts predict this shortage could continue well into 2027.
“I would recommend looking at purchasing a computing device now. If you’ve been thinking about it in the next six months, I’d get it now because I can only see the prices basically going up,” Agerbo said.
WATCH: Canada's minister for AI and digital innovation, Evan Solomon, was in Calgary Wednesday sharing his support for Canada's future as a leader in AI. However, more trust is needed as experts say a regulatory framework is required for Canadians' data to be protected. Drew Stremick reports.
It was a packed house at Platform Calgary on Wednesday as Canada’s minister for AI and digital innovation, Evan Solomon, explained more on how the government is looking to support the growing AI industry.
“We are on a mission for ‘team yes’ to find answers,” explained Solomon. “My job is to facilitate ‘team yes.’ To get out of the way when we need to, and to give a boost when we have to.”
According to Solomon, Canada is at a critical juncture where we are living through a period of political and technological change happening at an exponential rate.
Minister Evan Solomon says his government is here to support Canada's AI industry
Global News
“This political and this technological realignment poses real challenges to our sovereignty, to our values, to our communities… but it also presents opportunities,” Solomon noted.
Minister Solomon noted that there seem to be two distinct sides of the AI coin. Those with pompoms, who believe AI will solve all the world’s problems, and others with pitchforks, who say AI will take away jobs, harm the environment and our future.
“We’ve got to be open to the opportunities here and not stifle the innovation, and make sure that we’re candid about their concerns,” said Solomon. “Privacy, data, jobs, and we will protect those things as well.”
Those attending Wendesdays event listening intently to potential regulations for AI
Global News
Alberta-based AI firms are responding positively to the idea that the fed’s are willing to fight to keep Canadian companies in the country.
“That spirit of collaboration and ecosystem growth, built on an actual federal level? I think that’s absolutely key,” affirmed Ferdinand Hingerl, chief technology officer with Ambyint.
“With such a strong neighbour in the south that we always have to deal with (brain drain), the question is how can we address that challenge so that all the money we invest in our people here stays in Canada.”
There are three key pillars to the federal government’s plan: ensuring access to capital, computing, and consumers.
“Most companies would rather have a contract than a grant, and the federal government can play a big role in that,” said Shannon Vander Meulen, co-founder of WaitWell. “There’s a bit of a double-edged sword with that because obviously a lot of companies like mine sell extensively into the U.S.”
Currently, Canada only has a voluntary code of conduct for the development and management of advanced generative AI systems. Solomon tells Global News that he and other ministers are working on introducing new legislation to provide more concrete framework to protect Canadians and their data.
“The justice minister has tabled legislation on the non-consensual sharing of sexual and synthetic deep-fake imagery, to criminalize that,” Solomon shared.
“I will be tabling legislation to update our privacy, to protect our consumers, to protect our children, and make sure our children’s information is safe… And then Marc Miller is going to have the online harms element.”
Mount Royal University information design associate professor Lauren Dwyer says regulating AI in Canada is critical for protecting Canadians.
Global News
At Mount Royal University, information design associate professor Lauren Dwyer says sorting out a mandatory framework to protect Canadians is hugely important.
“We are driving next to a cliff with potential huge consequences if we aren’t managing this properly,” noted Dwyer. “And we’ve seen some of the most deadly versions of this when we look at what happened in Tumbler Ridge.”
Dwyer’s research focuses on a number of different areas within the sphere of artificial intelligence, including how the design of AI shapes communication, our behaviour, and what people do about it.
To her, if we want to remove the human element, there needs to be a greater focus on accuracy.
“When we’re using this tool to make things more efficient, we’re also removing the possibility of a person at every single step,” Dwyer said. “We love to talk about artificial intelligence with this ‘human in the loop,’ someone supervising the decisions being made, and that’s fantastic if efficiency isn’t the goal. If you’re supervising all these decisions but you’re being urged to move faster, and chances are you’re only taking a quick glance.”
Dwyer notes that, traditionally, in order for a new technology to be adopted, there has to be a foundation.
“A study coming out of Toronto Metropolitan University’s social media lab showed the majority of Canadians that they surveyed were using AI, specifically gen-artificial intelligence like ChatGPT,” explained Dwyer. “And yet the majority of Canadians (who were surveyed) said they didn’t trust the information that was coming out of it. So we’re seeing those models start to break.”
But Dwyer is optimistic that Canada is following other jurisdictions when it comes to coming up with those regulations.
“The European Union is doing a phenomenal job with regulation and it’s doing a much stronger job than let’s say the U.S. is doing with regulation,” Dwyer said.
“That doesn’t mean that they have it perfectly figured out, and that the work the EU is doing isn’t without its flaws. Canada is right to be taking its own path on this and figuring out how to strike the best balance.”
Guelph, Ont. - Kaeden Hawkins of the London Knights backhands a puck past Zach Jovanovski of the Guelph Storm to open the scoring in a 6-2 London victory at the Sleeman Centre on March 18, 2026.
Jim Van Horne / 980 CFPL
Kaeden Hawkins and Ryan Brown each had three points and Seb Gatto made 28 saves in goal as the London Knights defeated the Guelph Storm 6-2 on March 18 at the Sleeman Centre.
Hawkins and Brown each scored once and added two assists as London clinched the season series between the two clubs, winning four of the six games.
The win, coupled with a 4-3 Saginaw Spirit victory over the Soo Greyhounds on Wednesday, lifted the Knights past Sault Ste. Marie and into fourth place in the Western Conference standings.
London and the Greyhounds each have two games remaining on their schedules.
The teams skated through a scoreless first period where each club had a chance on the power play and matched each other in scoring opportunities without having a puck hit the back of the net.
That all changed for London in the second period, as the Knights broke through and put up four goals.
Hawkins returned to the London lineup against the Storm after missing five games due to injury and he got things started as he sprinted to a loose puck and backhanded it by Zach Jovanovski of the Storm at 7:26.
A tough turnover behind the Guelph net led to Will Nicholl’s 13th goal in his 30th game this year as he put the puck into a completely empty Storm net at 13:33.
Just over two minutes later, Hawkins made a beautiful drop pass to Andoni Fimis and he made it 3-0 for London and then Brown scored his 22nd of the season right off a faceoff in the Guelph zone with 1:32 remaining in the middle period. The score sat 4-0 for the Knights through 40 minutes.
The Storm hit the scoreboard 19 seconds into the third period on a wraparound goal by Ilya Shybinsky, but Jaxon Cover’s power play goal at 10:42 gave Cover 20 goals on the season and restored London’s four-goal advantage.
Jesse Nurmi slid a puck to Rene Van Bommel for Van Bommel’s 10th goal of the year at 13:18.
Shybinskyi finished out the scoring at 6-2 just one minute and six seconds later with his ninth power play goal of the season.
The Storm outshot the Knights 30-22 as Seb Gatto earned his 23rd victory of the season.
London was 1-for-3 on the power play.
The Storm were 1-for-4 on the man advantage.
Four Knights prospects named to GOHL All-Rookie team
Four members of the London Knights 2025 draft class have earned honours as members of the 2025-26 GOHL All-Rookie team.
London’s second round pick Cooper McAslan (London Nationals), third round pick Eloan Le Gallic (St. Thomas), fifth round pick Jake Ritson (Strathroy) and 14th round pick Michael Pope (Caledon) were named to the team on March 17.
Pope led Caledon in scoring with 25 goals in a tough year that saw the team win just five games out of 50 in the regular season.
Ritson led the Rockets in scoring with 72 points in 47 games.
Le Gallic tied for second in St. Thomas scoring in the regular season and leads the Stars in scoring through two playoff games with a goal and three assists.
McAslan was eighth in defenceman scoring in the league just behind Nationals teammate Cody Wood, who is also a Knights prospect.
Up next
London will play their final home game of the regular season on Friday, March 20, at Canada Life Place against the Windsor Spitfires.
Windsor is currently battling Flint for first place in the OHL’s West Division and the second overall seed in the Western Conference.
The Spitfires are one point ahead of the Firebirds and both teams have two games remaining.
Game coverage Wednesday will start at 6:30 p.m., on 980 CFPL, www.980cfpl.ca and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.
WATCH: Calgary police are investigating after a fire in the Northeast Calgary community of Coventry Hills on March 14, one they believe to be suspicious. Craig Momney reports.
Many in a northeast Calgary community say they’ve recently been feeling a bit on edge after a fire over the weekend.
“We always felt it to be safe in this community,” says Manish Ragput, “but now after having this scenario happen we are somehow concerned and alarmed.”
Calgary Fire was called to the 13000 block of Coventry Hills Way NE around 4:40 a.m. on Saturday, March 14, for a structure fire.
“When our fire crews arrived, they observed some damage on the exterior to the home,” says Alex Kwan, Public Information Officer with Calgary Fire.
“(They) made entry and declared a working fire and found a fire in the basement ceiling.”
Calgary Fire says there were two occupants in the home at the time who were able to get out safely without injury before crews showed up.
It’s not yet known how the fire started, but Calgary police say they are investigating it as suspicious.
Global News has obtained surveillance video which appears to show someone walking near the house involved. The person can be seen heading towards the back of the house before walking out of the camera’s view.
Moments later, they’re seen again but this time they’re running from the area after what sounds like an explosion.
Some people who posted on social media have described seeing someone on their surveillance recordings carrying what looked like a fuel container.
Kendra Aaron, who lives nearby, says this latest incident in alarming because “this isn’t the first time this has happened,” recalling a series of fires in the community just a couple months ago.
“I even said to my husband that I was pretty concerned that there might’ve been like arsonist or something in the area because it was so frequent and so random,” Aaron says.
Police haven’t confirmed if Saturday’s fire was arson or if there was a fuel container involved.
Statement from Calgary Police regarding the fire in Coventry Hills
However, they’re asking anyone with security video of any pedestrians and vehicles that were travelling in and out of the area between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. to give them a call.
Controversial comedian Ben Bankas is scheduled to perform at Prospera Place on Thursday night. The stand-up show has been cancelled in many other communities. And as Victoria Femia reports, the comedian's planned tour stop in Kelowna is getting pushback.
Canadian comedian Ben Bankas is pushing ahead with his planned Kelowna, B.C., stop, despite growing calls to cancel the show.
In a video posted online ahead of March 19, Bankas tells fans he’s coming to Kelowna. Wearing a Kelowna Rockets jersey, the Toronto-born comic, now based in Austin, Texas, is seen stepping off a plane in another online video saying “can’t stop me.”
Bankas has built a reputation for controversial material, including a recent set where he compared Winnipeg to an apocalyptic scene involving Indigenous people.
Kelowna Pride spokesperson Candace Banks says that kind of content is part of a broader pattern.
“If you look up any of the clips on YouTube, it only takes a second for him to get into trashing immigrants, Indigenous people, women, trans folks, queer folks,” they said.
His “I Said What I Said” tour has already faced fallout. A show in Nanaimo was cancelled, with the Port Theatre saying it supports freedom of expression within the bounds of the law.
In the U.S., multiple sold-out shows in Minnesota were also scrapped after backlash to a routine referencing Renée Good, a 37-year-old mother who was fatally shot by an ICE agent earlier this year.
Bankas joked about her death during a performance, saying it was ‘good,’ drawing widespread criticism.
“To make light of the death of a human, an innocent woman, that’s not comedy,” Banks said.
Kelowna Pride is now calling on Prospera Place to cancel Thursday’s show.
“Especially for a public venue where we get most of our entertainment from, I think our entire community needs to feel comfortable and safe there. With events like this, there is no safety,” they said.
In a statement, Prospera Place says it is listening to feedback.
“The venue hosts a wide range of events throughout the year, presented by different organizers. When providing the space for these events, we recognize that not every performance will resonate positively with the whole of our community,” said Prospera Place.
“Any decisions related to an event proceeding are considered carefully and take into account a variety of factors, including existing agreements and public safety.”
Global News reached out to Bankas’ team for comment but did not receive a response.
For now, the nearly sold-out show is still expected to go ahead.
The City of Vancouver has given the owners of a neglected building on Hastings Street permission to try to shore up the structure, despite warnings from city staff that it's at risk of collapse. Kristen Robinson reports.
The owners of a neglected building in Vancouver appear to have been given a chance to save it, despite city engineers previously warning that it was at risk of collapse.
The City of Vancouver now says it is reviewing a building permit application from the property owner for shoring work.
“We did declare the building a dangerous building in December… Since then, the owner has been working and in regular contact with the city to do shoring work to shore up the building,” Vancouver Coun. Peter Meiszner told Global News.
“Right now they’re just waiting for approval from WorkSafeBC to begin that work.”
The owners of the Summer Hotel were given an extension on the initial 35-day deadline to stabilize the property.
The City of Vancouver did not provide a spokesperson to answer questions on camera on Wednesday about the structure’s current safety risk, saying Chief Building Official Saul Schwebs was not available.
“There’s no risk to the public of the building collapsing onto the sidewalk or an adjacent building, but there is still a small risk of the building collapsing inward and that’s why we’re wanting to get the shoring work underway to determine if the building can be saved,” Meiszner added.
After a fire last October, Schwebs ordered the former rooming house in the historic Tweedale block unsafe to occupy, citing water damage.
An engineering report commissioned by the property owner claimed the building could be repaired.
If 341 East Hastings cannot be saved, the city said it will look at ways to preserve its historic facade.
A Merritt father has a warning for others after a tick bit his son, triggering a frightening health crisis. Klaudia Van Emmerik reports.
A Merritt, B.C., father is warning others about the danger of tick bites after a serious medical emergency involving his young son.
“Sheer panic,” is how Jamie Stevens describes the emotion he felt at the time.
The Merritt boy woke up last Thursday morning unable to walk.
“He was falling. His legs weren’t holding up his weight,” Stevens said. “Like he’d try to stand up and then he’d fall.”
Stevens says doctors at the local hospital couldn’t determine a cause and referred him to a pediatrician.
But when they got home, they discovered a large tick attached to the boy’s scalp.
“It was pretty horrifying to see,” Stevens said. “I’ve never seen a tick, like an engorged tick before.”
Stevens believes the tick latched onto his son during a recent short hike they did in a grassy area on a bluff near their home.
While not common, experts say that certain tick species cause paralysis by releasing a neurotoxin into the bloodstream.
“Not all ticks, for example, can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease,” said Jade Savage, a full professor at Bishop’s University specializing in entomology.
“Different species can cause other problems, so tick paralysis, for example.”
While most tick species become active as soon as the snow melts, experts say outdoor enthusiasts need to be tick aware year-round.
“In British Columbia, people should be aware of ticks 12 months out of the year because different species of ticks are active at a different time of the year,” Savage said. “However, most species are quite resistant to the cold.”
While tick bites can cause serious problems, there are ways to reduce the risks starting with knowing where ticks are usually lurking.
“If you remain on gravel paths, if you stay away from vegetation, if you stay away from tall herbs — from forest edges, for example — then the ticks don’t fall out of thin air,” Savage said.
“They have to be attached to plants. That’s where most of them are. That is where they are waiting for you.”
Savage said another way to reduce the risk is by covering up with long sleeves and long pants and tucking socks into pant legs.
She added that using repellents, such as DEET, can also help.
But Savage said regular tick checks are key, especially in the hard-to-see spots such as the scalp, hairline and behind the ears.
“This is something that anyone that goes into any potential tick habitat should do every evening,” Savage said.
And whether using tweezers or a tick removal hook, Savage advises to never twist when pulling off an embedded tick.
“You might (break) the head off,” Savage said. “That can leave the head and the skin, which could be uncomfortable but sometimes it can also lead the tick to regurgitate into the skin.”
After discovering the tick on Milo’s scalp, the boy was brought back to hospital where Stevens says doctors used a topical type of cream to remove the insect.
He said after about 24 hours, his son was almost back to his normal self.
Despite the terrifying incident, Stevens says he and his children won’t stop hiking but he added that they will be even more vigilant checking for ticks.
“Oh, absolutely,” he said. “He has two siblings that live here, too, so we’ll all be doing it together.”
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