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Carlo D. Rota, actor, television host (born 17 April 1961 in London, England). Distinguished by his elegant accent and smooth, baritone delivery, Mediterranean looks and air of refinement, Carlo Rota is a successful character actor of Italian descent who is often cast as a Muslim, an erudite professional, or an ethnically ambiguous villain.

Michael George Murphy, actor (born 5 May 1938 in Los Angeles, California). Over the course of five decades, recognizable character actor Michael Murphy has parlayed his mildly morose, blandly urbane persona into an impressive repertoire of roles as angst-ridden sad sacks and morally muddled professionals. These characters are most notably seen in Murphy’s long and fruitful association with legendary director Robert Altman, with whom Murphy worked more often than any other actor.

Deanna Durbin, born Edna Mae Durbin, actress, singer (born at Winnipeg 4 Dec 1921, died April 2013). Deanna Durbin was born in Winnipeg to English immigrant parents, but was raised from infancy in California. She was blessed with a strong and surprisingly mature voice.

John Kim Bell. Conductor, administrator, pianist, composer, conductor, born Caughnawaga (now Kahnawake) Reserve, near Montreal, 8 Oct 1952, to a Mohawk father and American mother; B MUS (Ohio State) 1976.

Often based on the unorthodox lives of real people, Michael Ondaatje's poetry and prose is characterized by its preoccupation with multiculturalism and its gravitation toward the bizarre, the exaggerated, and the unlikely.

Paul John Perry"PJ," jazz musician (b at Calgary 2 Dec 1941). His father, Paul Perry, led dance bands in Alberta (notably at Sylvan Lake) from 1939 to 1965.

Irene Louise Rosnes, "Renee,"jazz pianist (b at Regina 24 Mar 1962). She studied in Vancouver and Toronto for a career in classical music, but turned to jazz circa 1982 and moved to New York in 1985.

Augustus George Fox (born Fuchs), violinist, pianist (born 25 July 1870 in Galt, now Cambridge, ON; died 15 March 1913 in Toronto, ON). George Fox was a child prodigy who began his formal musical study relatively late, but developed quickly and drew comparisons to Mozart.

Robert Murray Gordon McConnell,"Rob," jazz musician (b at London, Ont 14 Feb 1935, d at Toronto 1 May 2010). McConnell studied with Gordon Delamont in Toronto and then played valve trombone in the bands of Maynard FERGUSON (New York, 1964) and Phil NIMMONS (Toronto, 1965-69).

Bert (Bartolo) Niosi, bandleader (b at London, Ont 10 Feb 1909; d at Mississauga, Ont 3 Aug 1987).

Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, "Kenny," jazz trumpeter, flugelhorn player and composer (born 14 January 1930 in Toronto, ON; died 18 September 2014 in London, England). He began his career in St Catharines, Ont, and studied at the ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC in Toronto before moving in 1952 to London, England.

The Massey Commission was formally known as the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences. It was officially appointed by Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent on 8 April 1949. Its purpose was to investigate the state of arts and culture in Canada. Vincent Massey chaired the Commission. It issued its landmark report, the Massey Report, on 1 June 1951. The report advocated for the federal funding of a wide range of cultural activities. It also made a series of recommendations that resulted in the founding of the National Library of Canada (now Library and Archives Canada), the creation of the Canada Council for the Arts, federal aid for universities, and the conservation of Canada’s historic places, among other initiatives. The recommendations that were made by the Massey Report, and enacted by the federal government, are generally seen as the first major steps to nurture, preserve and promote Canadian culture.

Glenn Herbert Gould (born Gold), pianist, broadcaster, writer, composer, conductor, organist (born 25 September 1932 in Toronto, ON; died 4 October 1982 in Toronto, ON).

Hélène Joy, aka Helene Joy, actor (born in Perth, Australia).

​Claude Létourneau, violinist and educator (born 11 November 1924 in Québec City, QC; died 7 October 2012 in Québec City).

Paul Kling. Violinist, teacher, born 27 Mar 1928 Opava, Czechoslovakia, died 2 Jan 2005 Victoria BC.

Michelle Boudreau moved to Quebec as a young child. She briefly studied piano, but was mainly self-taught until a prize in 1972 prompted her to pursue music seriously. She studied with Edna Marie Hawkin and later attended l'École Vincent d'Indy (1973- 75).

Ronald York Wilson, painter (b at Toronto, Ont 6 Dec 1907; d there 10 Feb 1984). Wilson studied commercial art at Central Technical School and first worked at Brigden's engraving house in Toronto (1926), where he was influenced by Charles COMFORT and Will OGILVIE.

Karim Ouellet, Quebec songwriter, composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist (born 8 December 1984 in Dakar, Senegal). He is the standard-bearer of an intelligent brand of pop music flavoured with soul, reggae, folk and electroacoustic elements. His poise, velvety voice and catchy refrains make him a distinctive artist. In 2007, he started working more and more with Quebec City artists (CEA, Webster, Limoilou Starz) and was part of the band Movèzerbe. At the same time, he set the stage for his solo career by taking part in the 5 fois 5 music project at the Théâtre Petit Champlain, a showcase for young, up-and-coming Quebec artists. He later played at the Francofolies music festival in La Rochelle, France. In 2009, he made a strong impression by making it to the finals at the Granby International Song Festival. In 2011, with his first album, Plume, Karim Ouellet caught the eye of both the public and the music industry. He won the Pop Album of the Year award at the Gala Alternatif de la Musique Indépendante du Québec, which recognizes excellence in independent music. In 2012, he had his first hit, “L’amour,” from his album Fox, earning him his first major public recognition.