Arden’s ‘tar sands’ tweet stuck in rotation
2016 post makes rounds online, prompts call to boycott Fort McMurray concert
Some residents of Fort McMurray are calling for a boycott of Alberta singer Jann Arden’s upcoming concert after an “insensitive” tweet about the oilsands.
In the 2016 post, Arden calls Alberta’s oilsands “the tar sands” while condemning the province’s cull of wild horses, saying, “I’ll tell ya what’s damaging the Alberta Environment — the tar sands — NOT the free roaming #wildies #saynotothehorsecull.”
The tweet has been making the rounds online, with many oilsands supporters demanding Arden apologize or cancel her planned Oct. 30 performance at Fort McMurray’s Keyano Theatre.
Pro-oilsands activist Robbie Picard runs a Facebook page called Oilsands Strong, on which he is calling for his followers to #boycottjannarden.
The post has been shared more that 1,800 times online.
Many posters online called out Arden for appearing in a Toyota commercial while blasting the oil industry, including TV personality and well-known Alberta businessman Brett Wilson.
Calgary city councillor Diane Colley-Urquhart also chimed in on the controversy, saying it’s “unbelievable” that the singer would “use this disparaging reference” to the oil industry.
Arden seems unfazed by the controversy, even making light of the fact a more than two-year-old tweet is now prompting online outrage.
The singer said in a post Wednesday that Fort McMurray is just another stop on her tour schedule — which she has “nothing to do with.” She added that her concerts support local vendors, including restaurants in the cities she plays.
Arden’s Canadian tour starts in October with dates in Ontario before heading west in support of her new album These Are The Days.
Tickets went on sale earlier this month and are available on Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
I’ll tell ya what’s damaging the Alberta Environment — the tar sands — NOT the free roaming #wildies.