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Toronto Sun
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Justin Trudeau was all smiles at Katy Perry's Montreal concert
Just 48 hours after they had dinner at Le Violon, the former PM came out for the pop star's Lifetimes Tour stop at the Bell Centre. Published Jul 31, 2025 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 4 minute read Justin Trudeau (at left) was spotted in the crowd at the Katy Perry concert in Montreal on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. T'Cha Dunlevy/Montreal Gazette It was quite the second date. Just 48 hours after they had dinner at Montreal restaurant Le Violon, Justin Trudeau attended Katy Perry's triumphant Lifetimes Tour stop at the Bell Centre Wednesday night. And he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Sporting a black Standfield's 'Strong & Free' T-shirt, Canada's former prime minister stood next to his daughter, Ella-Grace, as he took in the razzle-dazzle show, bopping his head and tapping the railing in front of him from a special section of the stands near the stage. Perry, for her part, gushed about Montreal — 'one of my favourite cities in all of Canada' — and the country Trudeau led for nearly a decade. Perhaps it was her way of flirting: She called our country 'super progressive,' adding that Canadians 'seem to be leading a change for humanity.' The pop star was doing her part in that department, spreading messages of equality and women's empowerment throughout the evening. 'I like her songs and her style; she's not exotic but extravagant, with a lot of energy,' said Ana, 14, who was there with her mother but was too shy to give her real name. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Sara-Maude, 31, called Perry 'a female icon.' The Mirabel native said she felt nostalgic coming out to see her idol from her teen years. 'It brings up memories of our youth,' added her friend Lysanne, 33. Encountered before the show, the pair was intrigued by Perry and Trudeau's potential romance. 'Justin Trudeau has taste,' Sara-Maude said. The women looked forward to hearing favourite songs including I Kissed a Girl, Roar, Fireworks and Dark Horse. They got all of the above and more as Perry powered through a two-hour, hit-filled set featuring songs from throughout her career. It was a high-concept show with two dozen screens of various sizes cluttered above the stage. They projected an animated, sci-fi fantasy narrative staggered throughout the night that placed Perry at the centre of a hero quest to save the butterflies — and humanity — from devastation and the forces of evil. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The concert was divided into five acts, each bearing a title matching a song from her 2024 album 143 (the number is contemporary shorthand for 'I love you'). During the first segment, Artificial, she emerged from beneath the infinity-symbol-shaped catwalk in the middle of the arena, floating into the air as she sang. 'Are you ready to dance tonight?' Perry asked the crowd, skipping about the stage in an outfit that could best be described as sexy cyborg. The song, Chained To the Rhythm off her 2017 album Witness, sparked a heartfelt singalong. She was backed by a four-piece band and a dynamic troupe of 10 male dancers, who were impressive from start to finish. Two songs later, Dark Horse got an even bigger reaction. Perry wasn't stingy with the hits. While many artists save the best for last, early on she played a handful of tunes off her 2010 album Teenage Dream: the title track California Gurls and Last Friday Night, followed by her racy, career-launching 2008 earworm I Kissed a Girl, which she dedicated to the gay community. The song sparked more aerial acrobatics as Perry soared over the crowd, pulling off a stunning series of flips while her dancers dashed about below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It was a world-class, state-of-the-art performance, proving that 17 years after she became a household name, Perry can still command a crowd. She was disarmingly charming, coy and fun to be around. Mid-set, she invited three people from the crowd up on stage, a 29-year-old woman, a 19-year-old guy — who blurted out that Firework was 'first song I ever downloaded' — and a 10-year-old girl, giving everyone big hugs and letting them all perform a song with her. 'You can film if you want to,' she encouraged her guests, prompting the two adults to pull out their cellphones. 'You Montreal people are so polite,' Perry teased. The singer, who recently split with fiancé Orlando Bloom, playfully complained about having to play (by request) a pair of 'breakup ballads' — Not Like the Movies and The One That Got Away, both off Teenage Daydream. She delivered her 2013 single Roar while riding a giant, airborne butterfly. By that time, Trudeau had been spotted in the crowd and a picture shared online, allowing this critic to catch him grooving along to the music. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Perry capped off the evening with the rousing anthem Firework amid a barrage of confetti. 'That was incredible,' raved Lana Grégoire afterward, standing outside the Bell Centre. 'I like her personality, her energy. Her songs are about loving yourself and being strong, especially as a woman, and following your dreams.' Her friend Sasha Pustovit was equally impressed. 'The best show of my life,' Pustovit said. 'She's inspiring.' Celebrity Canada Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Canada
Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Toronto Sun
WARMINGTON: It took days, but video of smoke bomb attack sparks probe in Montreal
Video shows a large man take devices out of pocket and throw them toward an American Christian pastor in a Montreal church Get the latest from Joe Warmington straight to your inbox Pro-MAGA and Christian singer Sean Feucht gets ready for his performance at Ministerios Restauración in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette It was a fine of the times and there's been a lot more smoke than action. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account But the Lord works in mysterious ways and this may now change. Two days after the City of Montreal fined a church $2,500 for holding a worship event without a permit, Montreal Police have now launched a probe into who threw smoke bombs at an American pastor inside a church last Friday. Better late than never. 'Yes. there is an investigation ongoing,' media spokesperson Veronique Dubuc told the Toronto Sun Tuesday. There has been no arrest so far. But there is certainly now compelling evidence to work with. Thanks to security video, put out for the public to see by Rebel News reporter Alexa Lavoie, this case now has legs. Lavoie said Friday there was little interest in pursuing the smoke bomb thrower since the focus was more on efforts to try to stop pastor Sean Feucht from taking the stage. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 💥SHOCKING: Here is footage of the man who threw two smoke bombs at Sean Feucht during his service at a church in Montreal. Antifa radicals were protesting outside, and despite a police presence, the suspect was not detained. — Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) July 29, 2025 Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The video shows a heavy-set, dark-haired caucasian man wearing a white shirt, and suspenders holding up blue pants, walk into the church. He later allegedly takes two smoke devices out of his pockets and throws them toward Feucht, who was singing on stage. One of devices emitted white smoke and the other a large plume of purple smoke. It's unclear if he was with the Antifa protesters who were outside but he was not dressed like them. Recommended video 'There's our smoke bomb guy,' Sean Feucht posted to X Tuesday. 'Do your thing internet. Let's find him.' Dubuc said if someone 'has information' they want 'to share' that will help police, 'go to your nearest police station' or call an anonymous tips line. This is a major development because there had been a feeling amongst many at this event that there was ambivalence about this incident up until this video was dropped on the Rebel News site and retweeted by Libs of TikTok and Dacey Media. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When there's smoke, there's often fire. This story is an inferno. Feucht, who ran for Congress in the United States and has been in the Oval Office of the White House to visit with President Donald Trump, has been treated like public enemy number one in Canada during his cross-country Christian worship tour. He's had his permits pulled, had the police try to stop his appearances, had his tour bus rammed and even had these smoke bombs thrown at him. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It's unclear if Trump has been briefed on this while in Scotland, but Feucht has said his staff have reached out to him to tell him they are monitoring the situation. The whole thing is another example of the erosion of basic freedoms in Canada. People with agendas gloss over real terrorists and criminals and focus on a pastor who has done nothing wrong. It's almost like they all got the same memo. But the public is starting to wake up to the woke and radical left. And reject their bullying. The Sun's Brian Lilley has written some excellent columns this week on this — eluding to this as being akin to a religious holy war and assault on free speech and freedom of religion. The critics out to silence him have placed their priority, not on who attacked him but on him even being here. Some of the rhetoric and reaction of politicians, who turn a blind eye on so much violence and antisemitism in their own constituencies, have been embarrassingly moronic on this. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This show runs counter to the values of inclusion, solidarity, and respect that are championed in Montreal. Freedom of expression is one of our fundamental values, but hateful and discriminatory speech is not acceptable in Montreal,' said Philippe Masse, a spokesperson for Mayor Valerie Plante. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The 40-year-old preacher defied police, who had come into the church looking to shut things down, and went on with his performance. But the Ministerios Restauracion Church in Mont Royal now faces a $2,500 fine for not having a permit – even though the drug addicts and antisemitic protesters that routinely fill Montreal's streets never apply for one themselves. 'A ticket was issued because the organization violated the regulations by going ahead with the show,' said the mayor's office. The thugs who tore down the statue of Sir John A Macdonald in Montreal didn't have permits, either. In Canada, terrorists get better treatment than this guy gets. Other than common Christian beliefs on abortion or gender issues, the assertions this man is homophobic are weak. He has, however, faced plenty of hate himself. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Assault with a Weapon – Section 267(a)Arson – Disregard for Human Life – Section 433Mischief Endangering Life – Section 430(2)Administering Noxious Substance – Section 245Intimidation of a Religious Group or Service – Section 423.1 Terrorism (if pursued) – Section 83.01 — Sean Feucht (@seanfeucht) July 29, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Montreal's mayor has not commented on this video and Winnipeg now said the pastor's next performance in that city has had its permit pulled. But as much as they are maligning Feucht for doing nothing wrong, the people pushing this are going to have a hard time glossing over the video showing the alleged act in progress. From Assault with a Weapon – Sec. 267(a), Arson – Disregard for Human Life – Sec. 433, Mischief Endangering Life – Sec. 430(2), Administering Noxious Substance – Sec. 245, Intimidation of a Religious Group or Service – Sec. 423.1 and Terrorism – Sec. 83.01 — Montreal Police have plenty of laws in the Criminal Code that they can choose from should they decide to lay charges. But first — perhaps with some help from the internet cops m– they have to find the guy. Read More MLB Toronto & GTA Toronto Blue Jays Canada Editorial Cartoons
Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Montreal doctor who died before sentencing for sexual assault was portrayed as serial predator at bail hearing
Publication ban on evidence against Stephan Probst was lifted on Tuesday after a judge was presented with a death certificate confirming Probst died early in June. Published Jul 29, 2025 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 4 minute read Stephan Probst arrives at the Montreal courthouse on Aug. 29, 2024 for the verdict in his sexual assault case. He and his girlfriend, Wendy Devera, were found guilty. Photo by John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette While Montreal doctor Stephan Probst was on trial last year on charges alleging he drugged and sexually assaulted a woman, other women who previously met the former head of nuclear medicine at the Jewish General Hospital began to wonder about their interactions with him. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account This touched off an investigation by Montreal police before Probst and his girlfriend, Wendy Devera, were found guilty on Aug. 29 of sexually assaulting the woman. In March, before sentencing arguments were heard in his first case, Probst was arrested and a new series of charges were filed against him alleging he sexually assaulted seven other women. He had a bail hearing and was granted a release. The evidence presented against Probst was placed under a publication ban that was lifted on Tuesday at the Montreal courthouse after a Quebec Court judge was presented with a death certificate confirming Probst died early in June, reportedly by suicide. During the first trial, the group of women who were following Probst's case closely last year gradually formed a group that shared their experiences on social media and decided to file complaints with the Montreal police. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It was those complaints that led to new charges against Probst in March. The details from the bail hearing were chilling. Probst was portrayed as a serial predator who carefully planned to drug women before he sexually assaulted them, just as he did with the victim from his first trial. 'I was the perfect gentleman,' Probst wrote in a text message in 2018 to one of the complainants shortly after he is alleged to have sexually assaulted her. She expressed concerns to Probst that he sexually assaulted her when she passed out in his apartment. Probst claimed the woman passed out because she couldn't handle wine and insisted he was 'the perfect gentleman.' The woman, whose is identity is protected by a publication ban, told police she is convinced Probst had unprotected sex with her while she was drugged. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She told the police that on May 30, 2018, she went out on a date with Probst to a restaurant after they introduced themselves through Tinder. During the bail hearing, prosecutor Delphine Mauger said the woman 'didn't see a future' with Probst as they drank wine at a restaurant and talked about their lives. The following day, the prosecutor said, the woman was sending Probst messages on Messenger asking him if they had unprotected sex. The woman was unable to recall what happened after they continued drinking wine at his penthouse apartment. She suspected she had been drugged with something placed in the wine. In a reply, Probst offered to have the woman tested for a sexually transmitted disease while he worked at Jewish General Hospital. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I'm a good doctor, I swear,' Probst wrote to the woman. 'We'll see about that,' the woman replied. A couple of days later, Probst told the woman that all they did was 'make out.' She replied: 'I don't remember anything. It's worrying. F—k, this is so stupid. I've never had unprotected sex,' she wrote. Probst replied to her concerns by writing: 'I'll know for the next time that you can't hold your alcohol.' The woman then informed Probst she was going to go to a clinic to be tested. She also told Probst that she didn't want to see him again. 'Do you remember at one point I held down your arms and you said you liked that? You said you liked it when I took control,' Probst said. Probst and the woman later spoke on the phone, a conversation that she recorded. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I don't need to spike drinks to get girls,' the prosecutor quoted Probst as saying. Mauger added that Probst 'swore on his mother's life' at that point in the conversation. It was during the same conversation that Probst claimed he was 'the perfect gentleman' during their date. The woman went to the police following the conversation, but she ultimately decided not to file a complaint. Another complainant who said she was convinced she was drugged inside Probst's apartment during 2013 said she had returned from Mexico with a female friend and asked Probst to pick her up at the airport. She said Probst invited the two women back to his apartment for drinks. She told the police that after she had a drink she felt 'paralyzed' while Probst 'flirted' with the other woman. She also said she was unable to react when the other woman told Probst to leave her alone after he suddenly wrapped his hands around her neck. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She told the police the other woman got up to leave and invited her to go with her, but she was unable to move. The complainant alleged that after the other woman left, Probst carried her into his bedroom where he raped her anally. The woman said she regained some of her memories of her time inside Probst's apartment the following day. Another woman alleged that Probst raped her in 2012 after she had a drink in his apartment. Mauger told the court the woman recounted how she asked Probst to put on a condom, but he laughed at her, ignored her request to wear a condom and proceeded to rape her for a long time. After hearing the evidence, Quebec Court Judge André Perreault decided to grant Probst bail. 'I don't have difficulty believing him,' the judge said of Probst's claims that the few days he spent detained were very difficult for him. The judge also noted that Probst had not violated any of the conditions imposed on him while he awaited his sentence in the trial in which he was convicted. He also expressed doubt the Crown could prove its claim that Probst was a serial rapist. The judge believed Probst might have been acquitted on some of the charges he faced. Devera, 31, still awaits her sentence in the case in which she was convicted with Probst last year. The case returns to court later this month. 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CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Author Heather O'Neill and daughter Arizona find a bit of magic on the Montreal Metro
When the award-winning Canadian author Heather O'Neill was approached to write a serialized novel, she knew she wanted it to be set in the Montreal Metro, which had long served as both an inspiration and an escape for her. Originally published in weekly installments in the Montreal Gazette, the story follows a young orphan named Valentine who spots her lookalike in the subway. Earlier this month, the complete story was released as a novel called Valentine in Montreal, which features brand new illustrations by Heather's longtime creative collaborator — her daughter, Arizona. For Heather and Arizona, the Montreal Metro has long played a special role in their relationship. Some of Arizona's fondest childhood memories are of riding the metro with her mother. Since they didn't have a car, they'd often travel long distances together by transit. "I had trouble reading at a young age, so my mother read out loud to me, actually, until I was 12 because I have dyslexia and it's quite bad," Arizona tells Q 's Tom Power in an interview alongside her mother. "When we used to ride the metro, she would read out loud to me — which must have been obnoxious to everyone else around — but I remember us on the metro and her reading A Series of Unfortunate Events to me. [The metro is] a very comfortable place and it almost feels like a home." After graduating from McGill University, Heather unexpectedly became a mother at age 20, which changed the course of her entire life. "I thought I was going to go live whatever the writer's life is, like getting drunk in Paris with three husbands," she says. "But then all of a sudden I found myself with a baby. So I was constantly in this world of play. I was reading Jean Genet all the time at night, and then reading Dr. Seuss to Arizona…. But then I was like, 'We're going to just make the best of it. And I'm going to show you how amazing the world is.'" Heather published her debut novel, Lullabies for Little Criminals, in 2006 to widespread critical acclaim. It's about a 12-year-old girl named Baby who's growing up in Montreal's red-light district with her heroin-addicted father, Jules. "I was writing about difficult childhoods, but then there was this possibility that a childhood could be magical," Heather says. "Heather's writing has so much childhood fancy in it, even though oftentimes she's tackling very difficult subjects," Arizona adds. "So I feel, like, maybe trying to make me feel the magic, she's brought in this magic to her own writing. When I was illustrating [ Valentine in Montreal ] as well, [I could see] those moments of magic, because I see the world, actually, through my mother's eyes…. I never had to go to her and ask, 'What did you mean by this description?' I just had such an easy time illustrating it because I felt like I really knew the inside of her brain."
Toronto Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
MAGA singer's rights violated in Canada: Free speech experts, religious group
All six of the concerts scheduled last week were cancelled, forcing him to seek alternative venues Published Jul 28, 2025 • 4 minute read Pro-MAGA and Christian singer Sean Feucht gets ready for his performance at Ministerios Restauración in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette MONTREAL — Sean Feucht, a Christian singer and rising star in the MAGA movement, has been censored and mistreated during his Eastern Canadian tour, say civil liberties experts and a religious group. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account All six of the concerts scheduled last week were cancelled, forcing him to seek alternative venues. In Montreal, a church allowed Feucht on Friday to perform a hastily scheduled concert over the objections of the city administration, and is now facing a $2,500 fine. Officials cancelled his shows because of the singer's political and religious opinions, says a group that represents 500 evangelical Protestant churches in the province. 'While the criticism of ideas is legitimate in a democracy, state censorship of those ideas represents a dangerous deviation,' Jean-Christophe Jasmin, a spokesperson for the Reseau evangelique du Quebec, said in a statement. The Christian singer describes himself as a musician, missionary, author and activist. He has spoken out against 'gender ideology,' abortion and the LGBTQ+ community, and his religious and political views have grabbed the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. The Atlantic magazine recently described Feucht as a Christian nationalist who has become a 'MAGA superstar.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In a statement, a spokesperson for the City of Montreal says the church didn't have a permit to organize the concert, adding that the show went against the 'values of inclusion, solidarity, and respect' that define Montreal. But Jasmin says the event should not have required a permit at all because it was part of a routine religious gathering. And while he says his group doesn't support the singer or his views, it's concerned with what it sees as an attack on religious expression. Since the incident, he said, church leaders in the city have been calling to ask if they could also face fines for hosting concerts. 'It's not the state's place to determine how our churches ought to conduct themselves,' Jasmin said. The City of Montreal did not immediately respond to a question about whether all churches should request permits when they want to hold concerts. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Complaints about Feucht have led officials to cancel his other shows scheduled in Eastern Canada — decisions that free speech advocates in the country say were violations of the Charter. 'His freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion rights have all been violated,' said Josh Dehaas, legal counsel for the Canadian Constitution Foundation. 'The government doesn't get to decide what ideas people can hear and what things people can say and how people can choose to worship and that's what they're trying to do in this case,' he said in an interview. Dehaas said the foundation would be interested in supporting Ministerios Restauracion Church in a Charter challenge of the $2,500 fine. 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I'm totally opposed to his position on most political things,' he said. 'But in a democracy, we deal with difference through discourse, through argument, through boycotting, through ignoring, through protest. We don't deal with it through silencing people and censoring them.' On Sunday, Independent Sen. Kristopher Wells, a longtime LGBTQ+ advocate, waded into the fray, stating on X that Feucht 'has no Charter right to have his shows hosted at public facilities, which must be safe and discrimination-free spaces that uphold community standards.' In a statement to The Canadian Press, Wells said, 'this has nothing to do with his freedom of expression, which is subject to reasonable limitations in Canada, and everything to do with ensuring community safety and standing up for human rights.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But Dehaas disagreed, saying governments cannot 'discriminate on who can use a public space based on the viewpoint of the speaker who wants to protest or worship or sing in that space.' 'The senator is wrong here,' he added. On social media, the singer has accused Canada of tyranny and censorship, and has questioned whether the Charter of Rights and Freedoms 'still means anything.' Feucht says his 'Revive in 25' tour is about worship and spiritual restoration. But he has previously spoken out against 'gender ideology,' abortion and the LGBTQ+ community. In a February video on Instagram, in response to a protest in support of gender-affirming health care, Feucht said the protesters were angry because they were 'prohibited from cutting off the body parts of children.' Last year, Feucht referred to Pride Month as a time to discover 'which people, businesses, influencers, corporations & ministries have sold their soul to a demonic agenda seeking to destroy our culture and pervert our children.' Still, Dehaas said even if there were concerns that Feucht might engage in hate speech during his concerts, 'there's no legal mechanism to shut down his show in advance.' Feucht has returned to the U.S. following his concerts in Eastern Canada, but is scheduled to return in August for a series of shows in Western Canada. MLB Toronto & GTA Golf World Celebrity
