Mel Lastman knew all about going viral

Even if it wasn’t always on purpose

Sue-Ann Levy @SueAnnLevy

The many memories —fond ones especially — of being a City Hall columnist during the Mel Lastman era!!

tnc.newsLEVY: Nooobody was like Mayor Mel Lastman“Always flamboyant, forever committed to his beloved city’s success and never forgetful of the constituents who helped make him the politician he was, a true Toronto legend has left us.”

Leaving good obituary content behind wasn’t a problem for Mel Lastman, who died on December 11 at age 88, followed by a Monday morning funeral. While his biggest reporter fan was Sue-Ann Levy, other media interactions weren’t as polite. (After he retired, Toronto’s first megacity mayor got his wish for a reunion of the Spice Girls.)

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Omicron couldn’t kill this buzz

ARKELLS @arkellsmusic

Arkells + @thelumineers & Hamilton lighting up the night sky at the @CFL Grey Cup Halftime show. Tonight was an honour. Thanks so much to everyone who tuned in, shared the performance, and sent us encouraging words. Means the world.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats lost the Grey Cup game to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on the Cats’ home turf of Tim Hortons Field, but it still represented a sign of life for the CFL after a 2020 season that never was. Toronto Star columnist Bruce Arthur tweeted the game should’ve been cancelled and yet he still somehow also cheered on Arkells.

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Reddit now has a country manager for Canada. RJ Pauloski was once the first Canadian employee of Myspace, although Reddit looks to have more staying power—even introducing a year-end user recap a la Spotify. The business expansion to the country that contains Reddit’s third-largest user base initially launched in March.

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Peter Mann dead at 81. The leader of 1960s Toronto group Sugar Shoppe—which also featured future actor Victor Garber—he pivoted from sunshine pop to mounting a production of Jesus Christ Superstar as part of Canadian Rock Theatre. Mann’s vocal group experience came in handy years later when he became producer of the Nylons.

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Finally, blockin’ out the scenery

Les Emmerson was remembered as “Ottawa rock and roll royalty” after his December 10 death at age 77. The nation’s capital is where his 1960s group the Staccatos was renamed Five Man Electrical Band. Emmerson’s hippie song “Signs” was a hit in 1971, got a second wind from the hair metal band Tesla, and popped up a a third time via Fatboy Slim: