Canadian Celebrity Sightings
 

There is a long discussion in Miles Buzz about celebrity sightings on the aircraft and in airports. I was musing about a Canadian version...
A few years ago, Jean Charest came on board and proceded to the economy section of a YUL-YYZ flight. A few minutes later, he moved forward to J class on the invitation of a FA.
Clyde Wells was my seatmate on a flight from YHZ-YYR. He seemed like a nice guy.

I recently flew YOW-YYZ next to John Ralston Saul...the gov. gen'l's husband. RCMP escorted him to the plane, met him in Toronto. Nice chap, but he's a bleedin' socialist commie leftie, so I didn't chat with him.

An A/C pilot friend of mine reported that he flew Britney Spears once, and yes, a) she was in J, and b) yes, they're real (or so he said, based on his observations...

[This message has been edited by InTheAirGuy (edited 07-24-2001).]

Who??

Who??

Oh, how I'd love to sit next to him someday and argue - I mean discuss - politics http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Fly front cabin between YYZ and YOW and you are sure to run into a cabinet minister or three, a gaggle of Senators, and a coven of otherwise unknown MPs. Had Herb Grey sleeping behind me on July 1st flying up to YOW, John Manley down the aisle two week's earlier. Each travels with one or more flunkies (oops, EAs) who also travel front cabin.

As for celebrities, try the YYC-LAX route, again in the front cabin. On my second last MHD I shared a seat [and conversation] with Rob Lowe of WEST WING. Great conversation given the role he plays on that show, and the polling I do, plus past careers I've had in ministerial/deputy ministerial offices in Ottawa. Two weeks later it was Beau Bridge's wife, daughter and mother flying back from a father's day weekend with him in Calgary where he was shooting a feature. Talked to his mother about late husband Lloyd, as we deplaned.

Joe Clark & daughter multiple times. Don't mind seeing his daughter...that is for sure!!

D

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Does Stockwell Day count anymore (FlyerAl's vote doesn't count)? He and his wife sat across the aisle from me in late April from YWG-YYZ. It was kind of interesting as it was at the beginning of the leadership crisis and his picture was on the front pages of both the Globe and the Post. Lots of double takes from pax newspapers to seat 3D.

Cheers.

Too many to count, years ago on YVR-LAX. Closest "encounter" was sitting next to David Duchovny.

Do I take it that the only Canadian "celebrities" are politicians? The only non-politico types in the list so far are American celebrities spotted by Canadians http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif
Maybe all the others fly on US carriers.

Maybe all the others fly on US carriers.

Yes. Probably because they all live in the US.

I have always held the view that in Canada, politics is the equivilent of the entertainment industry [in the US], and thus most of our celebrities tend to be politicians. We see them every night on the news, their pictures dominate the pages of our newspapers. We have very few celeb magazines as they do in the US. So it is only natural to take this view.

And anyhow, we all know that home bred celebrities who earn their livings in Canada cannot afford to fly in the front cabin, and most of us upgrade so eschew the back. But I did ride in the back one time to Winnipeg from Edmonton many years back and sat next to kd lang. In those days, very few people knew who this "odd" looking person was, though I had been to a few of her local shows around Edmonton and we chatted about everything except beef. And I did post my near-death experience with Jane Sibbery at LGA.

Recall a conversation in the old Empress Club at YEG with Rebecca Jenkins, just after she had done her audition for Ann Wheeler's "Bye Bye Blues". And Peter Gzowski and I were often confused for one another by EC receptionists until they looked at my boarding card. [Well, I with Peter, not sure about he with me.]

And then there was the morning spent with Jan Arden and her group waiting for a flight to YYZ in the North Empress Club at YYC. Talk about comedy routines!

Back on the political track, Preston was a regular siting in that same EC through the 90s.

But returning to celebs, now that I live in Toronto I see just about all of them out on the street, either on film shoots or just walking about. Recall chatting with Don McKeller the morning I was heading for Richard Branson's press conference at Harbourfront.

OK, Graham Greene.

I don't remember exactly when (a long time ago) or on what route. But Canadian nonetheless.

I sat next to Liona Boyd YYZ-LAX (which puts it at probably March or April of '99). And diagonally opposite David Cronenberg LAX-YYZ (maybe even the next flight).

There were a lot of politicians when I flew YOW-YYZ-YVR on Friday of Victoria Day weekend (makes sense, Parliament wasn't sitting the next week): Anne McLellan, Randy White, Jason Kenney, many others. Of course one of the many Alliance crises was taking place, and the YYZ MLL was a real hotbed of intrigue! Also Allan Rock in YOW MLL on the Monday.

I guess seeing Alliance members when I go in and out of the office (Wellington Building) doesn't count? Saw Stockwell Day in line outside Ishtar on Sparks Street at lunch one day last fall.

andrew

Sat with Jennifer Dale, Peter Gsowski and Eric Petersen in the MLL.

Brian Mulroney was a regular between LGA and YUL when I was living in NYC.

Mel Gibosn last year.