#INTERVIEW: DEPARTURE HONOURS 2026 – JACOB TIERNEY, SARAH MCLACHLAN, LILLY SINGH, MAGGIE KANG AND MORE

Honouring Canadian Trailblazers and their groundbreaking accomplishments, the second edition of DEPARTURE HONOURS took place last night at Toronto’s Koerner Hall with a star-studded group of notables in attendance. The Departure Festival + Conference is a re-incarnation of what formerly was Canadian Music Week, running from May 4–10, 2026, that acts as a hub for music, technology, art, and media. It combines a high-level industry conference with a city-wide festival featuring live music, comedy showcases, and film

Honoured this year were:

Lilly Singh (Trailblazer Award): Recognized for her impact as a creator and trailblazer.

Bruce Allen (Lifetime Achievement Award): Honoured for his decades-long career in music management, representing artists like Bryan Adams and Michael Bublé.

Sarah McLachlan (Allan Slaight Humanitarian Award): Recognized for her philanthropic work and musical contributions.

Maggie Kang (Cultural Innovator Award): The creator/director of KPop Demon Hunters, who was also awarded a Key to the City of Toronto during the festival earlier in the day.

Jacob Tierney (Creative Impact Award): Writer, director, and producer known for Heated Rivalry and Letterkenny.

The Remix Project (Industry Achievement Award): Recognized for their work in empowering youth in creative industries. 

Heated Rivalry star Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova was in attendance to present Tierney with his award.

The Gala was hosted by CTV personalities Traci Melchor and Tyrone Edwards.

Some highlights from the Red Carpet as we were joined by special contributor Angela McLean, including last night’s Honourees, who reflect upon their success and their path to where they are now:

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There still are several exciting conferences, film screenings, showcases, and more to check out. Details are at departureto.com.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#INTERVIEW: THE CAST AND CREATORS OF “HEATED RIVALRY”

Based on Rachel Reid‘s wildly-popular GAME CHANGERS books, anticipation is great for upcoming Crave Original series HEATED RIVALRY. Above this, it has just been announced that HBO Max also has picked-up the Series, giving it exponential potential now that it has such a wide audience.

The Series centers on two rising stars in Hockey, Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya (Connor Storrie) who duke it out on the rink, before realizing their attraction to one another. This leads to a secret affair that spans several years, set against a backdrop of stigma where being outed might affect their careers adversely.

A Toronto Premiere was held at TIFF Lightbox last night with the Creators, including Reid and Series Director Jacob Tierney, plus the Cast in-attendance. Having seen the first episode of the Series, get ready for things to get real spicy! It isn’t every day a Canadian series has the opportunity this big, so we are expecting big things ahead.

Catch our chats with the Cast and Creators, including:

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@mrwillwong I don't think you're ready for HEATED RIVALRY! This show is spicy!! Based on Rachel Reid's popular GAME CHANGERS books, this series centers on two rival hockey players secretly in love, while duking it out on the rink. Chemisty off the charts!! HEATES RIVALRY arrives 11.28.25 on Crave, and has just been picked-up by HBO Max! #heatedrivalry #gamechangers #heatedrivalryseries ♬ Heal – Deza

HEATED RIVALRY arrives November 28, 2025 on both HBO Max and Crave.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)