Sudbury organization pushes to have Hedley concert cancelled

A Sudbury organization wants the City of Greater Sudbury to cancel an upcoming Hedley show that's set to take place in the city in March.

This week, CBC News reported the story of an Ottawa woman who is accusing the lead singer of the band, Jacob Hoggard of rape. Allegations of sexual misconduct involving the band members were raised earlier this month, prompting the band's management team to drop them.

A statement from Hoggard's lawyer says the interaction between him and the Ottawa woman was consensual.

Since the allegations have been put forward, several radio stations have stopped playing the band's music, including the CBC. Last week, the band withdrew from consideration for this year's Juno Awards.

Sudbury's Jacqueline Villeneuve is with She Matters, which is a support community for sexual assault survivors.

"Seeing that there are sexual assault allegations against Jacob, I assumed that our city would have cancelled their upcoming concert on March 14," she said.

So far, the only Hedley show to be cancelled is the upcoming performance in Windsor. Caesars Windsor issued a statement saying the show is cancelled and said it "will not be making any further comments beyond this point."

Protest planned

Villeneuve posted her thoughts on social media about her push to have the show cancelled and says she's been receiving messages of support.

"It's just really concerning for all of us to see that our city hasn't taken a stand and said 'You're not welcome here,'" she said.

"As a parent myself, I would want to be made aware of this and I hope that other parents in Sudbury who had planned to take their daughters will educate themselves about the stories that young women are sharing."

Villeneuve says she's been in contact with the city and was told it has a contract with the band for the show, and can't cancel.

However she says the city did tell her refunds would be issued if people ask for them. 

If the show is not cancelled, Villeneuve says the group plans to protest.

"We're welcoming any women who are survivors themselves, fathers, mothers [or] anyone who feels that they want to stand in unity with survivors and send a message," she said.