Owen Sound Cancels ‘Burn Canada’ Revival Event at Kelso Beach Amid Safety Concerns and Growing Controversy
City cancels Burn Canada's event permit over safety concerns; local chapter of Sean Feucht’s revival group has operated here since 2024.
The City of Owen Sound has revoked the permit for Saturday’s scheduled “Burn Canada” worship event at Kelso Beach at Nawash Park, citing public safety concerns and input from the Owen Sound Police Service.
In a statement issued to The Owen Sound Current at 12:47 p.m. Friday, City Manager Tim Simmonds said:
“Due to evolving safety considerations and based on input from Owen Sound Police Services, the City has determined that the potential impacts to community members, event attendees and event organizers are heightened and has revoked the permit for the event.”
The decision follows scrutiny surrounding the event’s affiliation with the national Burn Canada Revival tour, led by American Christian nationalist Sean Feucht — a polarizing figure known for his political activism and controversial public ministry.
Though local organizer Deena Spencer and six participating Owen Sound churches maintained that the July 26 event was grassroots and locally run — and that Feucht would not be present — The Owen Sound Current confirmed that the event was promoted online under the Burn Canada banner and was included in national listings.
The official website, social media hashtags, and affiliated Facebook profiles all pointed to an organized relationship with Feucht’s wider tour.
The National Connection: Who is Sean Feucht?
Sean Feucht is the founder of Burn 24-7, a revivalist worship movement launched in the U.S. in 2005. He has since become a prominent Christian nationalist figure, running for Congress in California in 2020 and gaining national attention for leading large-scale, often unsanctioned, worship rallies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feucht founded Burn Canada as an affiliate of Burn 24-7 during the early pandemic period. The Burn Canada Facebook page was created on April 22, 2020, and featured livestreams and prayer videos throughout the lockdowns.
While no individual is publicly listed as the page administrator, archived images show branding consistent with Feucht’s broader network. Feucht appeared often in posts and videos throughout the years.
Although Owen Sound organizers stated that Feucht had no involvement in this weekend’s event, The Owen Sound Current provided City officials on Friday morning with evidence that Feucht is, in fact, the founder of the national network under which the event was publicly promoted.
As of the 1 p.m. deadline for comment, neither the local organizers nor the six participating churches responded to multiple requests for clarification about their connection to Feucht or endorsement of his views.
Local Organizers Joined Feucht’s National Network in 2024
On August 24, 2024, local residents Deena Spencer and Ruth-Ann Plaxton appeared in a video posted on the Burn Canada Facebook page, identifying themselves as the directors of Burn Owen Sound.
In the video, they describe the movement as part of a “global organization” with hundreds of local chapters or “furnaces” hosting extended worship events around the world.
“These events can last anywhere from two hours to one hundred hours,” Spencer said.
“For more information about the bigger picture, check out BurnCanada.com,” added Plaxton.
Previous Burn Owen Sound events were held at indoor venues such as Harmony Centre and the Knights of Columbus Hall.
Saturday’s now-cancelled revival would have marked the first major outdoor event promoted under the national Burn Canada tour branding in Owen Sound. It was hosted by six local churches:
Owen Sound Alliance Church
Southend Fellowship Baptist Church
Rockcliffe Pentecostal Church
Calvary Evangelical Missionary Church
Crossroads Victory Church
Trinity Church Owen Sound
Criticism and Concerns
Feucht and Burn 24-7 have drawn criticism over the years for their ideological messaging, operational transparency, and leadership practices. Reports and commentary from within Christian circles between 2015 and 2023 raised the following concerns:
Spiritual Manipulation and Leadership Style: Former volunteers and musicians described a pattern of emotional pressure and a lack of organizational accountability.
Financial Transparency: As Burn 24-7 expanded globally, critics questioned the lack of consistent financial reporting, particularly as it sought church-based nonprofit status.
Defiance of Public Health Orders: During the pandemic, Feucht gained notoriety for hosting large in-person worship events in defiance of public health regulations, prompting concern from both civic and religious leaders.
Allegations of Spiritual Abuse: Former participants have alleged instances of public shaming and emotional manipulation within Feucht’s ministry environments.
In 2024 and 2025, Sean Feucht’s ministry Burn 24-7 faced intense scrutiny following a coordinated whistleblower report from five former senior leaders. The report alleged financial mismanagement, spiritual abuse, and a lack of accountability, citing misuse of donations, exploitation of volunteers, and governance failures.
It highlighted concerns over Feucht’s personal control of ministry funds, accumulation of real estate, and unethical conduct, all detailed through testimonies and documentation on a public website.
The accusations sparked widespread attention in Christian and mainstream media, marking a major rupture between Feucht and former insiders. Feucht has denied all allegations.
What Comes Next?
The City’s cancellation of the event leaves unanswered questions about how and why the event was approved despite its ties to a politically charged and nationally coordinated revival tour.
As of publication, Mayor Ian Boddy and the City of Owen Sound have not issued any additional public statements beyond the cancellation notice from City Manager Tim Simmonds. Event organizers and the participating churches have also not responded to follow-up requests for comment from The Owen Sound Current.
This story is developing. Updates will follow as new information becomes available.
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Ahem
Amen is right!!!!!!!