Shows axed as Canada bars Brown

Troubled singer Chris Brown has been barred from entering Canada and his concerts in Montreal and Toronto have been cancelled.

The Grammy-winning R&B artist was due to perform at the Bell Centre in Montreal and the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, but he tweeted that the “good people of the Canadian government wouldn’t allow me entry. I’ll be back this summer and will hopefully see all my Canadian fans!”.

Brown was jailed for nearly three months last year for violating his probation by getting into an altercation outside a Washington hotel the previous year. He was on probation after he attacked pop singer Rihanna, his then-girlfriend, before the 2009 Grammy Awards.

Nicole Perna, a spokeswoman for Brown, said he could apply to return at a later date and planned to do so.

Live Nation, the promoter, said “due to immigration issues” the shows had been cancelled and refunds were available at the point of purchase.

In 2010 Britain denied Brown entry, forcing him to miss four shows. The British Home Office said then that Brown had been refused a visa because of his past criminal record.

Stephane Malepart, a spokesman for Canada Border Services, said the country’s privacy act prevented him from commenting on any individual case, but several factors were used in determining admissibility, including involvement in criminal activity.