Western Canadian Music Awards Announces 2025 Specialty Award Recipients

September 22, 2025

Chantal Kreviazuk, Ernest Monias, John Scoles To Be Honoured During Award Ceremony On Saturday, September 27

Winnipeg is poised and ready to host the 23rd annual edition of BreakOut West.  The conference gets underway Wednesday, with the festival filling the city with music starting Thursday evening through Saturday.  As is tradition, The Western Canadian Music Awards kicks off the festivities with the announcement today of the specialty award recipients who will be honoured at a special celebration on Saturday.  Each year, The Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame recognizes an artist/band that has made a significant impact in their career; traditionally being awarded to an artist/band from the host province. The Heritage Award is presented to a person who has made significant contributions to the music industry over the course of their career, and the Kevin Walters Industry Builder Award is given to a person/collective who has made a significant impact on the music industry through their mentorship, training, and/or leadership.

The Western Canadian Music Awards are excited to announce that the 2025 Hall of Fame inductee is Grammy and JUNO Award winning singer-songwriter and musician, philanthropist and humanitarian, Chantal Kreviazuk.  The Heritage Award will be presented to trailblazing multi-award winning “King of the North” Cree singer-songwriter, Ernest Monias.  Legendary promoter and community advocate, John Scoles of Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club will receive the Kevin Walters Industry Builder Award.  More information on the recipients below.

BreakOut West would like to take a moment to address the recent fire at the Exchange Event Centre and to say that they stand alongside the city of Winnipeg and the Exchange District neighbourhood in support of the venue.

“Winnipeg is very near and dear to all of us at BreakOut West and the Western Canadian Music Awards. We are saddened by the devastating damages sustained by the Exchange Event Centre. We are hopeful for a speedy return to ‘open for business’,” comments Michael Dawson, Executive Director of BreakOut West. “We’re extremely grateful for the Manitoba music community’s admirable spirit to pull together and help us out.  Thank you to the Handsome Daughter, Public Domain and Devil May Care for making room to host showcases.”

BreakOut West 2025 officially begins Wednesday, with the start of its five-day career development conference and international industry program. Offering immersive content, international market deep dives, one-on-one mentor meetings, workshops and more, the conference is a landmark event for both artists and industry alike, looking to gain insight into the ever-changing musical landscape, and make invaluable connections. This year’s conference features industry professionals from across the globe, including the UK, Germany, Italy, Philippines, Netherlands, Mexico, Columbia, Sweden, USA, and more.

Featuring the best in emerging talent from across western Canada, as well as select international and Pan-Canadian acts, the 2025 music festival will highlight 50+ artists performing across two downtown Winnipeg neighbourhoods on Thursday (Sept 25), while the national historic Exchange District plays host Friday (Sept 26) and Saturday (Sept 27).  Limited festival wristbands available here.

Chantal Kreviazuk
2025 Hall of Fame inductee

Chantal Kreviazuk made her critically acclaimed full-length debut, “Under These Rocks and Stones,” in 1997. Since then, the Winnipeg-born and internationally celebrated 3x JUNO Award and Grammy-winning singer-writer and musician, classically trained pianist, actress, movie producer, philanthropist, humanitarian and proud wife and mother of three has recorded 10 albums, including a live album, a holiday album and a collaboration with her husband and Our Lady Peace frontman Raine Maida.  A prolific songwriter, Kreviazuk has written global smashes for the likes of Drake, Gwen Stefani, Pitbull, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood, Avril Lavigne, Shakira, Kelly Clarkson and Kendrick Lamar. Equally committed to helping those in need, Kreviazuk was awarded the Order of Canada in 2014 along with Maida, for their efforts to raise awareness and support for human and animal rights, mental health, education and the environment. Kreviazuk has been an ambassador to War Child for more than two decades and one of the organization’s founding artists.

Ernest Monias
2025 Heritage Award

“I feel at home on stage, it’s like my home away from home,” says Ernest. “I’ve been on the stage for so many years I’ve become accustomed to it, it’s a safe place for me.” Known as the ‘King Of The North’, singer-songwriter, touring musician, community leader and role model Ernest Monias was born and raised in Cross Lake, Manitoba.  The multi-award winning Cree artist has released 25 albums over his career, which has spanned decades and musical genres including gospel, country and rock.  For as long as he can remember, Ernest has loved music. As a small child attending residential school in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, he sang with the Glee Club which included a trip to Montreal to perform at Expo ’67.  By the age of 15, Ernest was singing songs on his own. He formed his first band, The Sons of Manitou, while still in high school. Later on his career Ernest would be accompanied by the now legendary Shadows. He has shared the stage with George Jones, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Steve Earl, performed at the 1999 Pan AM Games as well as the Stoney Mountain Penitentiary, portraying his humbleness and dedication to fans from all walks of life.

John Scoles
2025 Kevin Walters Industry Builder Award

John Scoles returned to Winnipeg in 1992.  He was looking for a change, by coming home.  He headed straight to the scene of many comforting occasions for him, The Times Changed Café.  Located in the fabled Fortune Block, named after Mark Fortune who erected the building in 1882 (he later perished on the Titanic), Scoles timely visit gave him a brighter future, with him taking a job as a bartender at The Times Changed.  His affinity for the establishment continued to flourish and after some time he became manager, and renamed the bar the Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club.

His vision was a proper Honky-Tonk.  It quickly became a tentpole anchor for musicians, breathing life into the roots and blues scene.  Blues’ titans like Lousiana Red and T Model Ford have graced the stage, along with Big Dave MacLean, the Perpetrators and Righteous Ike, to name a few.  It became a place of influence, mentorship and comradery – up and coming artists and fans alike knowing that whoever Scoles booked to play there would be right up their alley.

With the support of John and Ryan Pollard, Scoles has been able to remain secure in the historic Fortune Building.  In 2021, when the pandemic shuttered venues, Scoles boldly took a big step forward, expanding the club’s footprint to include outdoor space, launching Blue Note Park in the vacant lot beside Times Change(d). The outdoor beer garden and stage served as a means to support musicians and staff during the covid shutdown, and has gone on to become an integral destination for music lovers every summer.  The lot was once the home to former Blue Note Café, a popular after-hours club run by Curtis Riddell.  Scoles named the expansion in honour of Riddell. An inspiring accomplishment, Scoles and The Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club are preparing to celebrate 25 years.

NT4