FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARCADE FIRE TO BE HONOURED WITH
THE 2016 ALLAN WATERS HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Toronto, ON (February 24, 2016) — The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) today
announced Arcade Fire – Win Butler, Régine Chassagne, Will Butler, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and
Jeremy Gara – as the recipient of the 2016 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award, sponsored by Bell Media. The
eight-time JUNO Award-winning indie rock band demonstrates the spirit of the award through the millions of
lives they’ve enriched through their music and their impact on both local and national charitable causes.
The Allan Waters Humanitarian Award recognizes outstanding Canadian artists whose contributions have
positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada. Named after CHUM Ltd. founder Allan Waters, the award is
made possible by funding from BCE-Bell Media Benefits. It will be presented to Arcade Fire at the 2016
JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards on Saturday, April 2, 2016 in Calgary, Alberta.
“It is an honour. We are very thankful,” said Régine Chassagne on behalf of Arcade Fire. “It helps us
continue the work.”
“It’s an honour to present Win, Régine, Will, Richard, Tim, and Jeremy with this award for their
compassionate and impactful work,” said Randy Lennox, President, Entertainment Production and
Broadcasting, Bell Media. “Arcade Fire is passionate and energetic not only about crafting amazing music,
but also amplifying the voice of the non-profit organizations they work with.”
Hailing from Montréal, Québec, Arcade Fire is a six-piece band led by the husband-wife duo of Win Butler
and Régine Chassagne. Since forming in 2001, the band has garnered both mass popularity and critical
acclaim, recognized with eight JUNO Awards, two BRITs and one Grammy. Known for their powerful,
energetic live performances, Arcade Fire brings that same energy to their charitable endeavours.
Over the course of their career, the members of Arcade Fire have persistently used their voice and platform
as an opportunity to shine a light on a cause that is very close to their hearts - the people of Haiti. In 2006,
the band started donating $1 per concert ticket sold to Partners In Health (PIH) – a non-profit organization
founded in Haiti that brings high quality healthcare to the poorest areas of the world. Established in 1987,
PIH works to address poverty, inequality, and other root causes of illness, bringing the benefits of modern
medical science to those most in need of them. In the 25 years since its start in Haiti’s mountainous Central
Plateau region, PIH has expanded and built long-term relationships with sister organizations based in
settings of poverty, launching additional projects around the world to provide a preferential option for
healthcare and serve as an antidote to despair.
Since Arcade Fire’s strong affiliation with PIH, the band has developed additional long-term partnerships with
two other incredible organizations: KANPE, a foundation that stands with the most vulnerable Haitian
families to work towards their financial independence, and the Artists Institute – the first free college of art
and technology in Haiti’s history, founded by Artists for Peace and Justice.
Co-founded by lead singer Régine Chassagne in 2010, KANPE (meaning “To Stand Up” in Haitian creole)
implements a family support program that integrates the pillars of autonomy: health, nutrition, housing,
education, agriculture and leadership. With an initial duration of 18 months, the successful program provides
the foundation that enables families to achieve financial autonomy in a sustainable way.
Arcade Fire has traveled to Haiti several times to learn more and engage deeply in the social and cultural
context of the nation.
While visiting Haiti, front man Win Butler noticed that the sunshine, soil and rolling mountains could mean
real potential for coffee farming – and an infusion of much-needed jobs to the hemisphere’s poorest nation.
He approached La Colombe Coffee to co-create a new coffee, from Haiti, for Haiti — and funnel the profits
right back to those who need it most. Together they came up with RaRa Coffee, specially grown in Haiti,
with the proceeds going straight to Partners in Health and the Haiti Coffee Academy.
To date, Arcade Fire has not only raised and donated over $4 million, but has also trained thousands of
outreach volunteers and engaged over 500,000 fans in the fight for the people of Haiti.
In 2014, Arcade Fire and PIH became the founding partnership of Plus One – an international charitable
organization that connects artists, causes and music fans to make an impact in the world. The charity now
works with a growing community of artists such as The National, Chvrches, Johnny Reid, Arkells, Metric and
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who agree to donate $1 per every concert ticket sold, with 100% of the
donations going to an organization that the band and Plus One believe in. Through this initiative, more than
$2 million has been raised for the benefit of organizations such as Global Health, Partners In Health and
KANPE.
With a combination of their unique sound and theatrical performances, Arcade Fire built a fiercely loyal fan
base in the early 2000s. Their breakthrough album Funeral (2004) was released to wide critical acclaim and
featured in numerous Album of the Decade Polls including NME, Pitchfork, Guardian, Mojo and Rolling Stone.
The group’s platinum-selling sophomore album Neon Bible (2007) debuted at #2 in the US and UK. Both
records were nominated for Best Alternative Album at the Grammy Awards following their release.
In 2011, Arcade Fire won Album of The Year at the Grammy Awards for their third studio album, The
Suburbs (2010). The band’s fourth album Reflektor was released in October 2013 and welcomed as “a dark
disco classic” (The Times) and “an art rock epic” (The Telegraph). Led by title track “Reflektor”, the album
hit #1 in the Official Album Charts across the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Belgium and Portugal, and topped
the iTunes charts in 40 countries.
Arcade Fire has toured extensively worldwide, including Europe, America and Australasia. Renowned as
being one of the best live acts around, the Daily Telegraph described Arcade Fire as “the greatest live band
in the world, and everybody who sees them knows it.”
For more information on the 2016 JUNO Awards, or to download photos of Arcade Fire, go to
www.junoawards.ca.
The 45th Annual JUNO Awards and JUNO Week will be held in Calgary, Alberta, March 28 – April 3, 2016. The
2016 JUNO Awards Broadcast will air live on CTV and CTV GO 7pm ET / 8pm AT, Sunday, April 3 from The
Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.
Premier Partners of the 2016 JUNO Awards: We acknowledge the financial support of FACTOR, the
Government of Canada and of Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters, Radio Starmaker Fund, Province of
Alberta, the City of Calgary, Tourism Calgary, the National Music Centre, Google Play Music and TD Bank
Group.
Web Links
Arcade Fire website: www.arcadefire.com
Arcade Fire Facebook page: www.facebook.com/arcadefire
Official JUNO Awards website: www.junoawards.ca
CTV website: www.ctv.ca
Arcade Fire Twitter handle: @ArcadeFire
The JUNO Awards Twitter handle: @TheJUNOAwards
About CARAS
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/L’académie canadienne des arts et des sciences de
l’enregistrement (CARAS) is a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and enhance the Canadian
music industry and to contribute toward higher artistic and industry standards. The main focus of CARAS is
the exploration and development of ongoing opportunities to showcase and promote Canadian artists and
music through vehicles such as The JUNO Awards and other year-round initiatives. For more information on
the 45th Annual JUNO Awards or The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) please visit
www.junoawards.ca or www.carasonline.ca.
About Bell Media
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands
that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is
Canada’s premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and
digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada’s #1 television network; 34
specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada’s most-watched specialty channels in English and
French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada’s
largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns
Astral Out of Home, one of Canada’s most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with
a network of more than 30,000 advertising faces in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Québec, and Nova
Scotia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with premium subscription
on-demand streaming service CraveTV, as well as its innovative GO video streaming services including CTV
GO, Discovery GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO; operates multi-channel network Much Digital Studios; holds an
equity stake in digital startup Hubub; is partners in Cirque du Soleil Media, a joint venture with Cirque du
Soleil; and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc.
(TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit
www.bellmedia.ca.
-30For more information on CARAS and the 2016 JUNO Awards, contact:
Vanessa Andres
416-628-5612
vandres@holmespr.com