The City of Moncton says it cancelled an outdoor Christian worship event featuring American musician Sean Feucht last summer to maintain public safety and prevent potential hate speech, rather than to suppress freedom of expression.
The city has filed its statement of defence in a lawsuit brought by Burn 24/7 Canada Worship Ministries Society regarding the cancellation of its event at Riverfront Park in July 2025.
Burn 24/7 filed its lawsuit against the city in August, arguing the city’s decision to cancel the planned worship event violated the group’s right to freedom of expression under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“The purpose of the cancellation was to ensure public safety and to prevent anticipated hate speech,” the city said in its statement of defence, adding that it “had a duty to ensure public safety and to respond proportionately.”
The city said it feared people near Riverfront Park could face an unsafe environment, and that cancelling the event was “proportionate to the safety concerns.”
Burn 24/7, a non-denominational Christian non-profit organization, hosted a cross-Canada worship tour with Feucht last summer. The event in Moncton was one of several that were cancelled last summer.
Several municipalities raised safety concerns as their reason for cancelling the events, while other cities like Montreal accused Feucht of expressing discriminatory views.
Moncton made similar accusations against Feucht in its statement of defence, saying it “became aware of social media posts” made by Feucht that “included homophobic and transphobic content as well as threats.”
Feucht has spoken out against gender ideology in online posts. According to the city’s statement of defence, his views on the subject sparked pushback from some Moncton-area residents who told the city they planned to “organize counter-protests” of the July 24, 2025 event.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), who is representing the group and filed a statement of claim on their behalf, said Burn 24/7’s lawsuit maintains that its event complied with city policies and that organizers had prepared a security plan.
The claim also argues that the city yielded to opposition instead of addressing any legitimate safety concerns while protecting peaceful expression.
“This case concerns a basic constitutional principle: governments cannot suppress peaceful expression simply because others threaten to protest it,” lawyer Hatim Kheir said in a JCCF press release. “Public officials have a duty to protect freedom of expression, not surrender it to those who oppose a speaker’s message.”
The lawsuit asks the court to declare that the city breached the group’s Charter rights and award $50,000 in compensation. Burn 24/7 is also requesting that New Brunswick’s Court of King’s Bench issue a ruling preventing either party from bearing the other’s legal fees, regardless of the verdict, based on the argument that constitutional questions affecting the broader public are at stake.
Meanwhile, the city is urging the court to throw out the case and require the Christian organization to cover its legal expenses. It also contends that Burn 24/7 ought to have contested the cancellation via judicial review.
Dispute
Moncton had approved the organization’s application on April 30, 2025, for the summer event.
Organizers said they spent the following months collaborating with municipal officials to guarantee that site layout, restroom amenities, water supply, event timing, and coverage policies were finalized, according to court documents.
The city cancelled the event on July 22, two days before it was set to take place.
Burn 24/7 said it was forced to relocate the event to Taxis River, N.B., which is a two-and-a-half hour drive from Moncton.
Burn 24/7 said the venue change wasn’t finalized until just a few hours before the event’s scheduled kickoff, resulting in a dramatic drop in attendance due to the last-minute timing.
The group said it had expected about 1,000 people to attend the Moncton event, but attendance was reduced to approximately 200, cutting into anticipated donations. The last-minute relocation also resulted in additional costs, it said.
Several other lawsuits have also been filed to address the cancellation of Feucht’s scheduled performances in Montreal, Quebec City, and Abbotsford, B.C., during the 2025 Canadian tour. The Quebec lawsuit is headed to trial.
The allegations contained in Burn 24/7’s statement of claim against Moncton have yet to be tested in court.
The Burn Movement is part of a global network founded by Feucht and the Canadian branch is led by National Director Rev. Nichola Shilton.
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