Controversial comedian’s shows moved to different venue in Kitchener

A controversial comedian is no longer performing at a city-owned venue in Kitchener.

Ben Bankas was scheduled to perform at the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts on March 7. On Wednesday, a city spokesperson told CTV News the event rental had been “relocated” and ticket holders were notified of the change.

Bankas’ website says the shows will be held at Elements nightclub in downtown Kitchener instead.

“I’m happy to be coming back [to Waterloo Region] again after playing there for over seven years with sold out shows at a range of venues including Yuk Yuk’s, Bowling Alley, Waterloo Breweries and Maxwell’s Event Centre,” said Bankas in an emailed statement to CTV News.

Bankas jokes about immigrants, diversity, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and residential schools, prompting backlash from some residents.

He came under fire recently for mocking the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot in Minnesota by an ICE agent. A venue there that had been scheduled to host several of Bankas’ shows cancelled his appearances following those comments.

Closer to home, he was booked to appear at venues in Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, but those performances were cancelled due to some community concerns. Those shows have since been rescheduled at different locations.

Some people had called for the cancellation of Bankas’ show while it was scheduled to happen at the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts.

“I think that it’s great the city has changed [the booking]. I do think they genuinely didn’t know who he was and they didn’t know what they were allowing the booking to be,” Brain Lockyer, a former Kitchener resident who was one of the people calling for the cancellation, said. “That being said, I think that it’s still a public place and I still think Elements has things to answer for because I think they are allowing somebody - I mean, they know now that he’s spewing this hate speech and they’re allowing him to still perform there.”

“It’s progress, sure, but not what we’re looking for,” Sarah Walker, a Kitchener resident, said when asked about the venue change. “We were definitely looking to have him cancel it completely. I don’t think that he stands for what our city should stand for. And there’s certainly a lot of people who backed that.”

Meanwhile, representatives for Bankas noted people can choose whether to see the show or not.

“To the people who are calling the venue to complain, and are angry over something that they haven’t seen. They don’t need to watch it or support it,” said Bankas’ representative in an emailed statement.

“The people who accuse Bankas of hate speech, are sorely misinformed about the satire and humour laws in Canada which fully cover making satirical comments about current events and other sensitive subjects. Venues also have the right to tell “haters” to buzz off and still present the show as scheduled. Freedom of creative expression also covers this.”