The City of Abbotsford has received a warning letter from lawyers representing performer Sean Feucht urging a reversal on the decision to deny the permit for his event or face further legal consequences.
The letter states that the alleged safety concerns that City officials stated as a reason for the denial were not shared with event organizers and they believe a modest police presence would have solved any problems.
Lawyers from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ a Calgary-based group founded in 2010 ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ stated that they believe the City is engaging in unlawful censorship by denying Feucht's permit. They added that, if legal action is taken, that all communications and records related to the cancellation will be heavily scrutinized in a court of law.
A press release from the JCCF said that the City stated that safety letters from both the Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service and the Abbotsford Police Department were unable to be obtained by event organizers because potential risks related to the event were beyond both departments' capacity to manage.
The letter adds that the event permit was submitted on April 28 and the denial was received on July 29. The Abbotsford event was scheduled for Aug. 24.
Abbotsford city manager Peter Sparnese explained in a letter to organizers that the open-air, free-of-charge and un-ticketed event would likely attract a significant number of protesters and counter-protesters in addition to event attendees.
"These elements, among others, make the community safety considerations of the proposed event extremely difficult to mitigate and I find that no permit conditions could adequately address the potential risks to the public," he wrote to event organizers.
Feucht's lawyers claimed that the protests which have occurred during these series of concerts have been either non-existent or small and peaceful. They believe the City's concerns were exaggerated. They want the permit denial to be reversed or the City will open itself up to possible further legal action.
"I encourage the City to distance itself from the Canada-wide series of political cancellations and set itself apart as a municipality which facilitates the exercise of constitutional freedoms."
Permits for Feucht's tour have been revoked or rejected in several eastern Canadian cities ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ including Halifax, Charlottetown, Moncton, Quebec City, Gatineau and Vaughan ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ with authorities citing public safety and security concerns. Last week also saw his permit denied in Winnipeg. Events are still scheduled to occur in Saskatoon (Aug. 21) and Edmonton (Aug. 22). City officials in West Kelowna are still reviewing Feucht's permit application for a planned event on Aug. 23.
