Canucks who walk the walk

Copyright 2001 Sun Media Corporation

A sprinkle of stardust is predicted in Toronto tonight when Canada's Walk Of Fame honours its latest inductees.

Thirteen new stars embedded in the sidewalk in Toronto's King Street West entertainment district will be unveiled at a public ceremony in front of Roy Thomson Hall at 6 p.m.

This year's 13 honourees are:

• Legendary rockers The Guess Who (Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, Bill Wallace, Gary Peterson and Donnie McDougall);
• Polka king Walter Ostanek;
• Actor Leslie Nielsen;
• Novelist Margaret Atwood;
• Director Robert Lepage (The Confessional);
• Film director Ivan Reitman (Meatballs);
• Figure skater Kurt Browning;
• Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak;
• Opera singer Teresa Stratas;
• Prima ballerina Veronica Tennant;
• Hockey great Jean Beliveau;
• The late track star and activist Harry Jerome;
• Hall of Fame major-league pitcher Ferguson Jenkins.

Their inductions bring the Walk Of Fame roster to 51.

All but Reitman, Atwood, Lepage and Stratas are expected to attend the unveiling and the gala which follows, hosted by Brian Linehan, Colin Mochrie and Jann Arden.

The event will feature performances by inductee Ostanek, Gordon Lightfoot (a Walk of Fame inductee himself three years ago), and the PopStars-created group Sugar Jones.

Presenters include Karen Kain, who'll give Tennant her award; Royal Canadian Air Farce's Roger Abbott (for Nielsen); and ice star Scott Hamilton (for Browning).

If you want to watch history unfold, you can. The sidewalk ceremony is free and open to the public with raised viewing stands available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show are $25 and available at the Roy Thomson Hall box office. Call 416-872-4255.