Browning skates to Walk of Fame

Copyright 2001 Sun Media Corporation

Guess Who's been named to Canada's Walk of Fame?

No, THE Guess Who, the Winnipeg-based rock band.

Also athletes Kurt Browning from Alberta, Jean Beliveau, Ferguson Jenkins and Harry Jerome, artist Kenojuak Ashevak and writer Margaret Atwood.

And actor (don't call him Shirley) Leslie Nielsen.

For its fourth year, the stellar Walk of Fame will add 13 new inductees to the ever-growing path of granite sidewalk stars that draws tourists to a stretch of King Street in Toronto's downtown entertainment district.

"I look forward to having a picnic with my wife Sonia right on the sidewalk beside the star someday," figure skating champion Browning told Walk of Fame officials. "To have a star with my name on it will be one of my proudest Canadian moments."

Besides Browning, Nielsen and the Guess Who, the 2001 inductees include Inuit artist Ashevak, novelist/poet Atwood, NHL legend Beliveau, baseball player and all-round athlete Jenkins, sprinter Jerome, who died in 1982, filmmaker Robert Lepage, film director Ivan Reitman, polka king Walter Ostanek, ballet dancer Veronica Tennant and opera singer Teresa Stratas.

The 13 will bring to 51 the names of arts, entertainment and sports celebrities immortalized on the Walk.

With the exception of Jenkins, schedules have already been meshed with all the stars or their families to make appearances for their unveilings, says Walk founder and chairman Peter Soumalias. The official ceremony is slated for June 1 outside Roy Thomson Hall.

Soumalias says this is a far cry from the first couple of years, before it was clear the Walk had become an institution. He tells of the famous musician who turned them down in the inaugural year because he never heard of the event and didn't want to be embarrassed. Then he felt slighted when not invited the next year.

"This year we not only received nominations from his office, but I've actually had several phone calls from this individual wondering if that offer still stood!"

To qualify, candidates must have been born in Canada or spent their formative/creative years here, been successful for at least 10 years and have a body of work recognized for its impact on our cultural heritage.