The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in 2016 in music in Canada.

Events April 3 – Juno Awards of 2016 April 17 – Final concert by the influential folk-rock band Spirit of the West."Spirit of the West performs final concerts in Vancouver". CBC News, April 14, 2016. April – East Coast Music Awards May 15 – Prism Prize presented. May 24 – The Tragically Hip announce that lead singer Gord Downie has been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. June 15 – Preliminary longlist for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize is announced. July – SOCAN Songwriting Prize is presented. July 14 – Shortlist for the Polaris Music Prize is announced. July 22 – The Tragically Hip play the first date of their Man Machine Poem Tour in Victoria, British Columbia. August 20 – The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts The Tragically Hip's concert at the K-Rock Centre in their hometown of Kingston, which may be the band's last-ever live concert due to Gord Downie's cancer diagnosis, as a live cross-platform broadcast on CBC Television, CBC Radio One, CBC Radio 2, CBC Music and YouTube."Tragically Hip's final concert to be broadcast live on CBC". CBC News, June 17, 2016. September 19 – Kaytranada's album 99.9% is named the winner of the Polaris Music Prize."Kaytranada wins 2016 Polaris Music Prize for his album 99.9%". The Globe and Mail, September 19, 2016. December 3 – 12th Canadian Folk Music Awards

Bands disbanded Nomeansno Spirit of the West

Albums released A Aerialists, Aerialists AHI, We Made It Through the Wreckage Alaskan Tapes, We All Speak in Poems Altameda, Dirty Rain Ammoye, Enter the Warrioress Amylie, Les Éclats Matt Andersen, Honest Man – February 26 Ancient Shapes, Ancient Shapes Tafari Anthony, Die for You Anvil, Anvil Is Anvil – February 26

B Badbadnotgood, IV – July 8 Jason Bajada, Volcano – February 12"Du nouveau de Karim Ouellet, Koriass et Jason Bajada". La Presse, December 9, 2015. Matthew Barber and Jill Barber, The Family Album – April 1"Matthew and Jill Barber Revisit Their Roots for 'The Family Album,' Share Neil Young Cover". Exclaim!, January 28, 2016. Alexis Baro, Sugar RushLesley Mitchell-Clarke, "Sugar Rush - Alexis Baro & Pueblo Nuevo Jazz Project". The WholeNote, September 28, 2016. Bobby Bazini, Summer Is Gone Bear Mountain, BADU – September 9"From Basia Bulat to Junior Boys: a guide to Canadian album releases in 2016" . CBC Music, January 5, 2016. Daniel Bélanger, Paloma - November 25 Art Bergmann, The Apostate – May 13"Art Bergmann Returns with 'The Apostate,' Premieres New Track". Exclaim!, February 11, 2016. The Besnard Lakes, A Coliseum Complex Museum – January 22"The Besnard Lakes Return with 'A Coliseum Complex Museum' LP, Premiere New Track". Exclaim!, October 14, 2015. Black Mountain, TBA Blackburn Brothers, Brothers in This World Jean-Michel Blais, Il Bleu Jeans Bleu, Franchement wow Blue Moon Marquee, Gypsy Blues Blue Rodeo, 1000 Arms – October 28 Will Bonness, Halcyon Brasstronaut, Brasstronaut – November 11 Alysha Brilla, Human Jim Bryson, Somewhere We Will Find Our Place – February 12 Basia Bulat, Good Advice – February 12"Four albums from Toronto artists coming early in 2016". The Globe and Mail, December 31, 2015. The Burning Hell, Public Library – April 1

C Brendan Canning, Home Wrecking Years – August 12 Charlotte Cardin, Big Boy Jazz Cartier, Hotel Paranoia Tanika Charles, Soul Run – May 10 Classified, Greatful – January 15 Ora Cogan, ShadowlandAlan Ranta, "Vancouver's Ora Cogan hits her stride on soul-stirring Shadowland". The Georgia Straight, January 19, 2017. Leonard Cohen, You Want It Darker Jason Collett, Song and Dance Man – February 5 Antoine Corriveau, Cette chose qui cognait au creux de sa poitrine sans vouloir s'arrêter Crown Lands, Mantra Lori Cullen, Sexsmith Swinghammer Songs

D The Damn Truth, Devilish Folk Dead Obies, Gestamtkunstwerk – March 4 Del Barber & the No Regretzkys, The Puck Drops Here Art d'Ecco, Day Fevers Devours, Late Bloomers Céline Dion, Encore un soir – August 26 The Dirty Nil, Higher Power – February 26 Gord Downie, Secret Path – October 18"Gord Downie to release solo album, graphic novel next month". CTV News, September 9, 2016. Drake, Views – April 29

E Earle and Coffin, Live at the Citadel House Micah Erenberg, Poor Mic's ToeEzra Black, "Nine-toed Micah Erenberg to play at The Northern". 100 Mile House Free Press, May 26, 2017.

F The Flatliners, TBA Luca Fogale, Safety Fond of Tigers, Uninhabit – October 7 Fresh Snow, ONEPeter Ellman, "Fresh Snow: One". Exclaim!, September 7, 2016.

G The Garrys, Warm Buds Karina Gauvin, Divine Karina – February 12 Hannah Georgas, For Evelyn Matthew Good, I Miss New Wave: Beautiful Midnight Revisited – December 2 Aaron Goodvin, Aaron Goodvin Great Lake Swimmers, Swimming Away

H Harrison, Checkpoint TitaniumBenjamin Boles, "Album of the week: harrison’s Checkpoint Titanium". Now, September 7, 2016. Ron Hawkins, Spit Sputter and Sparkle – March 25Ben Rayner, "Ron Hawkins, man of many bands". Toronto Star, March 24, 2016. Tim Hecker, TBA Angela Hewitt, Domenico Scarlatti Sonatas – February 12 The Hidden Cameras, Home on Native Land Matt Holubowski, Solitudes Holy Fuck, TBA

I Ice Cream, Love, Ice Cream

J Sammy Jackson, Take Me Back July Talk, Touch – September 9 Junior Boys, Big Black Coat – February 5

K Kaytranada, 99.9% – May 6 Aidan Knight, Each Other – January 22 Koriass, Love Suprême Chantal Kreviazuk, Hard Sail – July 17 Nicholas Krgovich, The HillsConor Mackie, "Nicholas Krgovich: The Hills". Exclaim!, March 4, 2016. Patrick Krief, Automanic – September 30

L Land of Talk, TBA k.d. lang with Neko Case and Laura Veirs, case/lang/veirs Salomé Leclerc, Live au Treatment Little Scream, TBA Les Louanges, Le Mercure

M The Maddigans, No Place Like Here – April 4 Ria Mae, Ria Mae – June 3 Magic!, Primary Colours – July 1 Majid Jordan, Majid Jordan – February 5 Kate Maki, Head in the Sand – May 20"Kate Maki Taps Fred Squire and Nathan Lawr for 'Head in the Sand'". Exclaim!, April 8, 2016. Dan Mangan, Unmake – June 17 Carolyn Mark, Come! Back! Special! Shawn Mendes, Illuminate Dylan Menzie, Adolescent Nature Millimetrik, Fog Dreams Ryland Moranz, Hello New Old World

N Nap Eyes, Thought Rock Fish Scale Sarah Neufeld, The Ridge – February 26

O The Oot n' Oots, Songs and Tales from the Great Blue Whale Karim Ouellet, Trente – March 11"L'album « Trente » de Karim Ouellet : l'enfance du doute". Huffington Post, March 11, 2016.

P Dorothea Paas, No Loose Ends PartyNextDoor, PartyNextDoor 3 – August 12 Philémon Cimon, Psychanalysez-vous avec Philémon Cimon Lido Pimienta, La Papessa Plants and Animals, Waltzed in from the Rumbling – April 29 Protest The Hero, Pacific Myth – November 18

R Radio Radio, Light the Sky – February 19 Allan Rayman, Hotel Allan Corin Raymond, Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams Amanda Rheaume, Holding Patterns River Tiber, Indigo - June 24 Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Whisky & Pine Royal Canoe, Something Got Lost Between Here and the Orbit Rum Ragged, Rum Ragged Justin Rutledge, East – September 30"Justin Rutledge Embraces Canada's East Coast for New Album". Exclaim!, July 7, 2016. Serena Ryder, Utopia

S Sam Roberts Band, Terraform – October 28 John K. Samson, Winter Wheat – October 21"John K. Samson Returns with 'Winter Wheat' Solo LP, Shares New Single". Exclaim!, August 15, 2016. SATE, RedBlack&Blue Ségala, Plato Hess Andy Shauf, The Party – May 20 Mike Shabb, Sewaside LP Crystal Shawanda, Fish Out of Water Shotgun Jimmie, Field of Trampolines Simple Plan, Taking One for the Team – February 19 Dallas Smith, Side Effects - September 2 So Loki, V Solids, Else Souldia, Sacrifice John Southworth, Small Town Water Tower Rae Spoon, Armour – February 19"Rae Spoon Returns with 'Armour'". Exclaim!, December 16, 2015. Frederick Squire, Spooky Action at a Distance – May 27"Frederick Squire: 'Spooky Action at a Distance' (album stream)". Exclaim!, May 24, 2016. The Strumbellas, Hope – February 5 Sussex, Parade Day Suuns, Hold/Still

T Tanya Tagaq, Retribution – October 21"Tanya Tagaq Covers Nirvana, Collaborates with Shad on 'Retribution' LP". Exclaim!, August 17, 2016. Tasha the Amazon, Die Every Day Tegan and Sara, Love You to Death – June 3 Tory Lanez, I Told You – August 19 The Tragically Hip, Man Machine Poem – June 17 A Tribe Called Red, We Are the Halluci Nation Tuns, Tuns – August 26"Sloan / Super Friendz / Inbreds Supergroup TUNS Announce Debut Album". Exclaim!, May 20, 2016.

U Un Blonde, Good Will Come to You

V Mathew V, Sounds Rosie Valland, Nord-Est Venetian Snares, Traditional Synthesizer Music – February 20"Venetian Snares to Issue 'Traditional Synthesizer Music' on New LP". Exclaim!, December 17, 2015. Lindy Vopnfjörð, Frozen in Time – October 28

W Martha Wainwright, Goodnight City Frank Walker, Nocturnal Dawn Tyler Watson, Jawbreaker! Weaves, Weaves The Weeknd, Starboy – November 25 White Lung, Paradise WHOOP-Szo, Citizen's Ban(ne)d Radio Wild Rivers, Wild Rivers Wintersleep, The Great Detachment – March 4 Woodpigeon, TROUBLE Royal Wood, Ghost Light Donovan Woods, Hard Settle, Ain't Troubled – February 26"Donovan Woods Returns with 'Hard Settle, Ain't Troubled'". Exclaim!, December 7, 2015. Roy Woods, Nocturnal – December 23 Roy Woods, Waking at Dawn – July 1

Y Ken Yates, Huntsville You Say Party, You Say Party – February 12 Your Boy Tony Braxton, Adult Contempt – July 15"Stream Your Boy Tony Braxton Adult Contempt". Stereogum, July 15, 2016.

Z The Zolas, Swooner – March 4"The Zolas Premiere Title Track to New Album 'Swooner': Exclusive". Billboard, February 4, 2016.

Year-End List