According to Pitchfork.com, Joni Mitchell received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Junos, which is the annual awards show hosted by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). After accepting the award, Mitchell joined Sarah McLachlan and Allison Russell during their tribute medley to sing “Big Yellow Taxi.” After accepting the trophy from Prime Minister Mark Carney, who gave her a heartfelt introduction, Mitchell used her speech to talk about Carney’s generous leadership, the unrest in the United States and what her life looks like now.

“I had a [brain] aneurysm, which changed my life — oddly, for the better,” she said. “I went into a coma, which helped me to quit smoking. And my house filled up with the most wonderful nurses. I was, on the road with men for years and years; now I live with a house full of women. So my life has changed for the better out of a catastrophe like a phoenix.” In its introduction of the Lifetime Achievement Award, CARAS called Mitchell “one of Canada’s most influential and enduring creative voices,” adding that she “has profoundly impacted folk, rock, pop and jazz music through her distinctive voice, innovative guitar playing, and a unique ability to craft poetic and thought-provoking lyrics.