Canadian comedian Ben Bankas has had his appearance cancelled at the Grey Eagle Casino in Calgary.The Toronto-born comic’s original Oct. 24 show was canceled after the venue — located on the Tsuut’ina Nation — received complaints about a social media video Bankas posted that made a joke about residential schools."I just got back from Winnipeg... It's like an indigenous zombie apocalypse," he said in the video."I was thinking it'd be nice if there's, you know, some sort of school we could send them to. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed. Say what you want about the residential schools, but you know, it's nice architecture... I'm just saying it like those schools... If you wanted to go to a residential school now, in 2025 it'd be like $40,000 a year. Those motherf**kers got it for free.".Bankas is now set to perform new shows at Yuk Yuk’s comedy club in Calgary on Oct. 24 and 25.A spokesperson for the Grey Eagle Casino told the Western Standard that the decision followed several complaints related to a video Bankas shared on social media on Sept. 30 — the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.“We got a few complaints about this video that was shared on social media,” the spokesperson said.“From what I understand, [Bankas] made jokes about residential schools, and it was posted on the 30th, which is Truth and Reconciliation Day.”Bankas criticized the decision in a video on X, saying that it was censorship and that 1,700 tickets had been refunded..“Personally, I think the people working there are acting a little bit like schoolchildren, but I've moved the show,” he said.“[On] October 24, we're still doing a show, but it's going to be at Yuk Yuk’s in Calgary at the Deerfoot Casino. They like me there. They appreciate the way that I was raised... Support free speech in Canada.”In a follow-up video posted on Oct. 4, Bankas thanked his fans and said his new shows at Yuk Yuk’s had sold out within 24 hours, prompting organizers to add more dates..“We sold out four shows in 24 hours — over 900 tickets,” he said in the video.“Now we’ve added two more shows on Oct. 27 and 28, plus a live podcast. We might get some special guests out. It's going to be great. So right now, we're looking at seven shows... Thank you guys for always supporting me. I love you guys and see you soon.”The Grey Eagle Resort and Casino’s location on the Tsuut’ina Nation has drawn media attention in recent months for other controversial issues.Tsuut’ina made headlines in July after issuing a directive barring members of the media from entering its lands. The decision followed the arrests of ten men during “Project Buffalo,” a joint investigation by the Tsuut’ina Nation Police and Calgary Police into the sexual exploitation of minors at the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino..ACCESS DENIED: Tsuut’ina Nation blocks media during human trafficking investigation.In August, Tsuut’ina Chief Roy Albert Whitney, was charged by the Edmonton Police Service with two counts of sexual assault stemming from alleged incidents in 1994 and 2005.The Western Standard has reached out to Bankas for comment.
