The City of Winnipeg has cancelled a booking permit for a controversial musician who has had shows cancelled throughout eastern Canada. The city confirmed Tuesday it denied a Central Park booking request for a performance by Christian musician Sean Feucht on Aug. 20. A spokesperson for the city said the booking was for the “exclusive use of the park,” for an event, which included a concert. “After careful analysis, we’ve determined it is not operationally feasible to allow the event at Central Park,” the city spokesperson said in a statement. “As this is not in a ticketed event, forecasting attendance is a challenge; that in turn presents additional operational challenges.” Feucht has spoken out against “gender ideology,” abortion and the LGBTQ2S+ community. His religious and political views have also grabbed the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Feucht has had concerts cancelled in Halifax, Quebec City, Moncton, Gatineau, and Charlottetown in recent weeks. A church in Montreal was recently fined for hosting a performance by Feucht without a permit. The city spokesperson said Central Park is “highly utilized by community members” on summer days and is often used by day camps and daycares. “An influx of the more than 2,000 people the applicant expects would detract from the service the park provides to area residents,” the spokesperson said. “Additionally, emergency services has raised concerns that foot traffic, vehicle volumes, and parking utilization could prevent emergency crews from reaching a number of supportive housing residences and personal care homes in the area that have frequent calls for service.” Feucht has performances scheduled in Saskatoon, Edmonton, Kelowna and Abbotsford in August. In a statement posted on X, Feucht referenced the loss of the permit. “Did they not learn anything about what happened last week across Canada? This is going to backfire spectacularly!” he wrote. - With files from The Canadian Press
