Sarah McLachlan, Loverboy to be honoured at Junos

Lilith Fair founder and charitable campaigner Sarah McLachlan has been named winner of the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award to be presented at the Juno Awards gala in March.

It is the fourth time the award, for an artist whose "humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada" has been given.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which hosts the Junos, also announced Thursday that '80s rock band Loverboy would be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

The band that created Turn Me Loose and This Could Be the Night was formed in Calgary in 1980 and is now based in Vancouver.

Members include Mike Reno on lead vocals, guitarist Paul Dean, bassist Scott Smith, keyboard player Doug Johnson on keyboards and Matt Frenette on drums. Smith died in 2000 after being knocked off a sailboat.

McLachlan, best known for her hit Angel, has had a 20-year career as a singer-songwriter and is an eight-time Juno Award winner. She also earned Grammy Awards for Building a Mystery, Last Dance and I Will Remember You.

She is widely recognized for founding Lilith Fair, a tour headlined by all female artists that raised money for charities and women's shelters across North America.

Lilith Fair ran for three years and was considered ground-breaking for its role in promoting women in music.

Her Sarah McLachlan Foundation supports music education among young Canadians and has established a Vancouver program to provide music lessons to disadvantaged children.

In 2004, McLachlan and director Sophie Muller created fund-raising video World on Fire, designed to raise awareness about the need for global aid.

She also has been involved with music education charity MusiCounts, global charity Free the Children,and the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Previous winners of the Allan Waters Award, named for the CHUM Ltd. founder, include Paul Brandt, Bruce Cockburn and Tom Jackson.

The Juno gala is March 28.