Great Canadian Beer Expo Event Series Mired in Controversy

HALIFAX, NS – According to a report from CBC News Nova Scotia, a series of beer festivals planned for six cities and towns throughout Atlantic Canada this winter and spring likely won’t be taking place as advertised, with some venues indicating that they have no contracts in place with the event organizer.

The Great Canadian Beer Expo was announced late last year, with a series of two-day events being listed for Sydney, Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton and Charlottetown.

However, as the CBC story notes, Expo organizer Jonathan Brett has not paid the deposit for Centre 200, the venue where the Sydney event is scheduled for January 24th and 25th, and Cunard Centre in Halifax has no contract in place for the series instalment being advertised as taking place there on January 31st and February 1st.

In addition, the PEI Liquor Control Commission told the CBC that they will not be issuing a liquor permit for the Charlottetown event announced for May 9th and 10th, and the venues for the three New Brunswick stops – Fredericton Convention Centre, Casino New Brunswick and Harbour Station  – have no mention of the Expo on their websites.

This is not the first time controversy has arisen around an event spearheaded by Brett, as he was the organizer behind Mud Immortal, an “adventure challenge race” held in St. John’s, NL last fall that was branded a “dud” and “debacle” by participants and attendees, and which resulted in government scrambling, at least one lawsuit, and an RCMP investigation.

Jonathan Brett did not respond to attempts by the CBC to contact him for comment.

UPDATE: In a follow-up story posted today by CBC Nova Scotia, it’s being reported that the Sydney and Halifax events in the series have officially been cancelled. In addition, while the Expo website is still online, the ticket sales page has been removed and the Expo’s Facebook page has also been shut down, all suggesting that the plug has been pulled on the full series.