Toronto’s own steelpan pioneer, Panman Pat, is being honoured with a SUNSHINE Award from the organization. The 34th annual ceremony scheduled to take place on October 25th, 2025 has since been paused due to nominees, recipients, sponsors, and supporters affected by negative economic and adverse social factors. Despite the cancellation of the ceremony, recipients will still receive their awards and be formally recognized for their contributions to the performing arts.

Pat McNeilly, aka Panman Pat is highly deserving of this honour, with decades of performing and educating in the arts under his belt. The Trinidadian steelpan player immigrated to Canada in 1966 among the influx of Caribbean immigrants to Toronto in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s.

McNeilly participated in the inaugural 1967 Toronto Carnival (formerly Caribana) and has been performing in every Toronto Carnival since. He also taught at several schools, introducing steelpan as a formal high school music credit course for the Toronto District School Board in 1986. McNeilly would go on to become a two-time Calypso Monarch in 1983 and 1985 and win a JUNO Award in 1991 for “Soldiers All Are We”.

He became heavily involved in what is now the Little Jamaica community on Eglinton West, even opening up a patty shop down on Oakwood Ave. McNeilly, now residing in Etobicoke, re-visited the community as a guest performer and speaker last summer for the Canada Black Music Archives’ (CBMA) Little Jamaica Music History Walking Tour, where he performed and spoke about the history of the steelpan.

McNeilly is also a featured artist at the CBMA’s B’LACK THEN: Muted Melodies exhibit on now at Archives of Ontario. Learn more about his story through his biography and to read more about the exhibit visit the CBMA’s exhibitions page.