Murray Wood: Who's hot and who's not
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A British Columbia city said it has “increased concerns” about public safety over an upcoming concert by an American Christian musician who’s outspoken in the Make America Great Again movement.
Sean Feucht is due to play at the Memorial Park Amphitheatre in West Kelowna on Aug. 23, but the city said in a statement that it is reviewing safety and security plans connected to the private booking.
Feucht, who ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for U.S. Congress in 2020, is a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, and has previously been criticized over his remarks about the LGBTQ+ community and his opposition to abortion.
A spokeswoman for West Kelowna said in a statement issued Tuesday that staff are reviewing the safety and security plans of the private booking and working with the RCMP to assess public safety for this event.
The city says that “limited information” had been provided by the event organizer at the time of the booking, although the organizer needs to meet the necessary security and safety requirements.
The artist has faced backlash on the Canadian tour, with six of his concerts scheduled in Central and Eastern Canada cancelled last week.
Feucht is also scheduled to host another show in Abbotsford’s Mill Lake Park on Aug. 24, and the city says that it is reviewing the host’s special events permit.
“The city remains neutral and does not endorse any specific viewpoints or messages conveyed during these events,” says its statement.
B.C. Premier David Eby said in an unrelated news conference that he doesn’t share Feucht’s politics and views.
“I don’t agree with the message that he’s promoting,” said Eby.
The Kelowna Pride Society said in an online statement that it’s “deeply concerned” by the proposed event and is urging the city of West Kelowna to reconsider.
The group said Feucht is known for his “vocal opposition to queer rights, abortion rights and gender ideology.”
He gained national controversy for “aligning with the far-right political movements,” it said.
Candace Banks, co-vice president with the Kelowna Pride Society, said the values that Feucht holds are something that cannot be allowed in the Okanagan region.
“We’re all kind of just shocked at this point that this is still something that we’re trying to fight in 2025,” Banks said.
Some free speech advocates have criticized the cancellation of some of Feucht’s shows.
The Canadian Constitution Foundation said this week that Feucht’s Charter rights had been violated, while James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, said it raised “red flags” to see public bodies revoking Feucht’s concert permits.
Feucht posted on social media in August 2023 that “the LGBTQ+ mafia is a cult bent on perverting and destroying the innocence of every child they can.”
He said in June last year that “June is the month you discover which people, businesses, influencers, corporations & ministries have sold their soul to a demonic agenda seeking to destroy our culture and pervert our children.”
June is Pride Month in many parts of the world.
No one from Feucht’s tour replied to a request for comment.
However, Feucht said in a Facebook post Tuesday that the City of Winnipeg cancelled a permit for an outdoor show that had been scheduled for next month.
“Did they not learn anything about what happened last week across Canada? This is going (to) backfire spectacularly,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July, 29, 2025.
Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
