Mississauga rock band Billy Talent will receive the 2026 Arts for Mental Health Award, the Mississauga Arts Council announced this month.
The band — Ben Kowalewicz, Ian D'Sa, Jon Gallant and Aaron Solowoniuk — is being recognized for its long-standing support of Make Music Matter, an organization that uses the creative process as a therapeutic tool to help empower marginalized individuals and communities.
The award, sponsored by Bell Canada, honours Mississauga individuals and groups who have made a significant contribution to arts-based mental health initiatives, according to the Mississauga Arts Council. It will be presented at MAC's annual gala fundraiser, MACsquerade: The Artist's Dream, on Nov. 19 at the Luxe Convention Centre in the Hyatt Place Toronto/Mississauga Centre.
We are honoured to accept the 2026 Arts for Mental Health Award. For close to two decades, we have worked with organizations like Make Music Matter, whose music therapy program has had a positive impact on the mental health and well-being of their participants—something we have witnessed firsthand.
Lead guitarist Ian D'Sa said in the announcement that the band's connection to the city runs deep.
Our roots as a band have always been deeply tied to Mississauga, and we are very grateful for the recognition and support the city has shown us over the years.
Mississauga Arts Council executive director Mike Douglas said the band's work reflects the purpose the award was created to celebrate.
Billy Talent's work speaks to something much larger than philanthropy. It reflects a belief that music can help people navigate difficult experiences, find their voice, connect with others, and begin to heal; that belief is at the heart of what the Arts for Mental Health Award represents.
Douglas noted the band has worked with Make Music Matter for 15 years, using songwriting and recording as tools for healing and empowerment.
A hometown band with a national profile
Billy Talent is one of Canada's most successful rock bands, with nearly three million albums sold internationally and more than two billion global streams, according to the announcement. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Billy Talent II, the band's most commercially successful album.
The band received the 2026 JUNO Humanitarian Award and has built sustained partnerships with Make Music Matter, War Child and MS Canada, supporting communities affected by conflict and youth living with multiple sclerosis. The arts council said that commitment stretches from the band's first high school food drive to raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable causes.
Gala details
The MACsquerade gala features interactive experiences, live and silent auctions, performances by local artists, dancing, gourmet cuisine and an open bar. Tickets are $200, with discounted rates for groups of 10 or tables of 12.
Proceeds support the arts council's artist development programs, including its MicroGrants — one of the few initiatives in Mississauga that directly fund individual artists. The organization said every $1 invested in MicroGrants generates $4.50 in total sector impact.
Past Arts for Mental Health Award winners include Ian Hoare and Ruth Watkiss of Memories to Music (2025), Anu Srivastava of V-Serve Canada (2024), Sybil Rampen of Joshua Farm Gallery (2023), Dr. Colin Saldanha of ArtsCare (2022), Susan Ksiezopolski of WriteWell (2021), Anna Silgardo of Artists in Momentum (2019) and Mind Forward Brain Injury Services (2018).
