The Juno Awards of 1986, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 10 November 1986 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by Howie Mandel at the Harbour Castle Hilton Hotel. CBC Television broadcast the ceremonies nationally.
Labour problems at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation overshadowed plans for the awards broadcast. NABET complained about CBC plans to hire two American technical workers to assist with a special effect during the broadcast. NABET was renegotiating a labour contract with CBC and felt that Canadians should have been hired instead.
Meanwhile, CBC workers with the CUPE stopped work on 7 November. This strike was temporary, but interrupted the work of some Juno stage hands who were members of that union. weekend. CUPE's workers returned to work on the day of the Junos broadcast, as this particular union action was not planned to continue past the weekend.
1600 public tickets were made available, but all were sold late September, approximately one month after the $170 CAD tickets were offered for sale.
Gordon Lightfoot entered Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and was introduced at the ceremonies by Bob Dylan who made a surprise appearance.
Nominees and winners
Female Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Luba
Other nominees: Carroll Baker Anne Murray Martine St. Clair Jane Siberry
Male Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Bryan Adams
Other nominees: Bruce Cockburn Kim Mitchell Gino Vannelli Neil Young
Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Kim Richardson
Other nominees: Chantal Condor Siobhan Crawley Francesca Gagnon Sheree Jeacocke
Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Billy Newton-Davis
Other nominees: Doug Cameron Michel Lemieux Stan Meissner Scott Merritt
Group of the Year
Winner: Honeymoon Suite
Other nominees: Loverboy Platinum Blonde Rush Triumph
Most Promising Group of the Year
Winner: Glass Tiger
Other nominees: Cats Can Fly Chalk Circle Eye Eye One to One
Composer of the Year
Winner: Jim Vallance
Other nominees: Bryan Adams David Foster Corey Hart Luba
Country Female Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Anne Murray
Other nominees: Carroll Baker Marie Bottrell Kelita Anne Lord
Country Male Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Murray McLauchlan
Other nominees: Eddie Eastman Gilles Godard [[Matt Minglewood Frank Trainor
Country Group or Duo of the Year
Winner: Prairie Oyster
Other nominees: Carroll Baker and Eddie Eastman C-Weed Band The Family Brown The Mercey Brothers
Instrumental Artist of the Year
Winner: David Foster
Other nominees: Liona Boyd Canadian Brass Moe Koffman Zamfir
Producer of the Year
Winner: David Foster, St. Elmo's Fire Soundtrack by various artists
Other nominees: Terry Brown, Just in Time to Be Late by Eye Eye Graeme Coleman, The Bohemians by Skywalk Leslie Howe, Forward Your Emotions by One to One David Tyson, The Lines are Open by The Arrows and The Key by Erroll Starr
Recording Engineer of the Year
Winner: Joe and Gino Vannelli, Black Cars by Gino Vannelli
Other nominees: Patrick Glover, "The Bohemians" by Skywalk Leslie Howe, "Forward Your Emotions" by One to One Mike Jones and Paul Northfield, "Don't Forget Me" and "Thin Red Line" by Glass Tiger Anton Kwiatkowski, "Holst: The Planets" by Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis conductor
Canadian Music Hall of Fame
Winner: Gordon Lightfoot
Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award
Winner: Jack Richardson
Nominated and winning albums
Album of the Year
Winner: The Thin Red Line, Glass Tiger
Other nominees: Alien Shores, Platinum Blonde Lovin' Every Minute of It, Loverboy Power Windows, Rush The Big Prize, Honeymoon Suite
Best Album Graphics
Winner: Hugh Syme and Dimo Safari, Power Windows by Rush
Other nominees: Heather Brown, Dean Motter, Deborah Samuel, Between the Earth & Sky by Luba Heather Brown, Hugh Syme, Peter Shelly, Robot Man and Friends by Peter Shelly Mark Gane, Martha Johnson, Dimo Safari, The World Is a Ball by M + M Allen Shechtman, Melosphere by Helmut Lipsky
Best Children's Album
Winner: 10 Carrot Diamond, Charlotte Diamond
Other nominees: A House For Me, Fred Penner Come on In, Eric Nagler Lots More Junior Jug Band, Chris Whiteley and Ken Whiteley Songs + Games For Toddlers, Bob McGrath and Katharine Smithrim
Best Classical Album of the Year - Solo or Chamber Ensemble
Winner: Stolen Gems, James Campbell (clarinet)