Newsletter

  It’s New Year’s Eve and Tim Hicks is getting ready to go on stage in a few hours to ring in 2015 with a crowd in the Nation’s Capital. This is nothing new to him and his band, who have played in Ottawa for almost a decade. The only difference is, this time, they’re headlining a show they would’ve previously been watching on television as they played in a pub. These kinds of occurrences have been more and more commonplace for Hicks in the last few years, whose success has climbed significantly in Canada since the release of his albums Throw Down and 5:01. And on the eve of a new year, it’s going to be hard to top the last.       […]

Wendell Ferguson here. For the last 3 years, I’ve been editing the CMAO newsletter and every month we do a column called Behind The Board that features the background bio and some Q & A with one of our Board members. Look for columns on new Board members Brian Hetherman and Samantha Pickard in the coming months. But since I’ve been selected to enter the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame this year (along with builder Ron Sakamoto) I thought it might be interesting if I interviewed myself. Self-indulgent, perhaps… but how often do you get to speak to yourself? WF– So how do you feel about all this Hall of Fame stuff? WF- Very humbled, very honoured and to be truthful, a little undeserving. […]

By Sam Arraj, CPA, CA At least a few times a month, I’ll get an eager self-employed person who will call me up with enthusiasm requesting to incorporate their business – whether it’s an arts business, as a contractor or any other business. I’ll ask them why they want to incorporate and they’ll usually respond that their friend incorporated their business and now they are saving so much tax. This is not necessarily correct, which is why I’m writing this article to provide you with more insight on this subject. This is a complicated subject, so bear with me. I’m not going to cover every angle, as I’m going to try and give you more of a high level understanding. First and foremost, what is […]

By Stephanie Brooks The fun, the fans, the friends and the famous. All were out in full force July 31st-August 3rd at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, for the third annual Boots and Hearts music festival. Tens of thousands piled into the 750-acre racing facility with their trailers and tents in tow to see Toby Keith, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Lee Brice and Hunter Hayes as well as a great cohort of Ontario artists like Jordan McIntosh, Tim Hicks, The Reklaws, Marshall Dane, Genevieve Fisher, Deric Ruttan, The Roadhammers, The Abrams Brothers, Open Sky and Northern Roads. Thirty-four per cent of the weekend’s performers this year were from Ontario, let alone the throngs of fans. “Ontario is such a strong country market,” says […]

By: Linda Heldman Saturday July 26th, 2014, Monte Vista Golf Club in Val Caron, ON (part of the Greater City of Sudbury) was home to the Larry Berrio KICX for Kids Golf Tournament. The day was perfect for participants to enjoy a round of golf, all for a worthwhile cause. Larry Berrio has a long-standing relationship with KICX 91.7 FM and this tournament was an excellent opportunity to assist the station’s Phase 2 project to raise $250,000 towards the complete renovation and expansion of the existing Treatment Room in the Pediatric Unit at Health Sciences North. KICX states “The new Treatment Room will be a kid-friendly space, with a “clubhouse” feel. This will include a seating area for family members, child-friendly furniture and art/murals, electronic […]

Dear members: I hope you are enjoying the summer and getting a chance to see some of Ontario’s country talent live. First and foremost in my July’s President’s message: I previously made an incorrect reference to Leah Daniels as our CCMA FanFest Contest winner; in fact, she was the CCMA Spotlight Winner. Please be advised Leah will perform at the CCMA Industry Lunch & Awards and the CCMA Pre-Show Countdown Concert. Sorry for the mix up. Speaking of Leah Daniels, I want to thank everyone who voted to make Leah the national CCMA Spotlight Contest winner (I hope I got it right this time…). For the past three years, the CCMA has offered the CMAO and the other provincial associations the chance to send an […]