BC City Declines Permit for US Christian Musician’s Event, Citing Security Concerns

The B.C. city of Abbotsford has become the latest municipality to decline a permit for U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht.

The final stop on Feucht’s Canadian tour was scheduled to be Abbotsford on Aug. 24, however the city said it will not issue a permit for the event due to safety concerns.

Spokesperson for the city Melissa Godbout told The Epoch Times a permit will not be issued for the event over concerns it could draw “significant numbers of protestors and counter-protestors.” She said this made safety considerations “extremely difficult to mitigate.”

“The City found that no permit conditions could adequately address the potential risks to the public,” she said.

Feucht reacted to the city’s decision on social media, saying Canada is a “nation in crisis.”

“The most ‘Christian’ city in BC has now cancelled outdoor worship to God,” he said in a July 31 post on X. “They join 8 other cities that have bowed to the woke mob.”

Conservative Party of B.C. MLA Heather Maah, who represents the nearby riding of Chilliwack North, said on social media that the latest cancellation in Abbotsford “raises concerns” for all Canadians regardless of their religious affiliation.

“Shutting down events based on ideological disagreement, without any evidence of unlawful content or conduct, sends a chilling message: that certain views, especially those rooted in religious conviction, are no longer welcome in public life,” she said in a July 31 post on X.

Maah said the cancellation indicates a “deeply troubling” trend in Canada, where authorities have permitted “openly antisemitic, pro-Hamas” demonstrations while shutting down “peaceful Christian gatherings.”

“The selective enforcement of ‘tolerance’ risks eroding the very freedoms that define Canadian democracy,” Maah said.

Additional Events

Feucht’s next Canadian performance was scheduled to be Winnipeg on Aug. 20, but the municipality declined a permit for the event, which was to be held outdoors at Central Park.

City of Winnipeg spokesperson, Julie Dooley, told The Epoch Times in an email that the city had been reviewing the “feasibility” of the application and determined it presented “operational challenges” as forecasting attendance for the free event at Central Park was not possible.

Several other Canadian municipalities and Parks Canada in Nova Scotia have pulled permits for Faucht’s events over the past month, including in Charlottetown, P.E.I., and Moncton, N.B., citing security concerns. Permits were also revoked in Quebec City and Gatineau, where officials cited the artist’s views on gender ideology as the reason for the cancellations.

Feucht describes himself on social media as a missionary, musician, and author. He is also known for his outspoken views on abortion and gender-related issues.

Non-profit group, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) said it is organizing lawsuits against the municipalities that have cancelled permits. It said the authorities’ actions have violated Canadians’ constitutional freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.

Feucht has five more Canadian stops scheduled for August, including in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Abbotsford, and West Kelowna.

The Epoch Times contacted Saskatoon, Edmonton, and West Kelowna for comment but did not hear back by publication time.