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"Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Great Canadian Beer Expo has to be postponed at this time," reads an email sent to a Maritime brewery set to take part in the event.

Great Canadian Beer Expo organizer Jonathan Brett has disconnected his phone, shut down his email addresses associated with the event, and taken down the expo’s Facebook page — but at least one customer has managed to get a refund for tickets.

Julie Guy had bought a pair of tickets for the beer expo’s Halifax event at the Cunard Centre though Brett’s website, paying $50 each, plus a processing fee. The centre said Wednesday it had no contract with Brett for the rental of the space, and it only allows tickets to be sold through a recognized ticketing agent, like Ticket Atlantic.

Guy decided to ask for a refund after CBC in Nova Scotia aired a story Wednesday naming Brett as the organizer of the beer expo and connecting him with last fall’s Mud Immortal debacle in St. John’s. Brett had organized a five-kilometre obstacle run at Butterpot Park — while he was in personal bankruptcy, it was later discovered — leaving hundreds of participants upset due to a lack of clean water, unsafe obstacles, no food and a list of other problems.

The money, which Brett said would be going to charity, was not donated to the Alzheimer’s Society as planned (after waiting more than a week, the society announced it would not take any donations from the event) and a class-action lawsuit against Brett by participants is underway.

Since the beer expo website said no refunds would be given, Guy emailed Brett personally, asking for her money back. She received a reply from him late Wednesday evening.

“We are aware of the story that recently aired,” Brett wrote. “The Halifax event IS happening. We will be contacting Cunard in the AM to get clarification on any miscommunication that may have occurred. However, in the very worst scenario for any of our events, if any of them must be cancelled, we would 100% be offering refunds to attendees. We do apologize for the confusion.”

Guy told The Telegram she wanted a refund regardless, given what she learned about Mud Immortal, and she put in a PayPal request for a refund. Within a half an hour, Brett gave her back her money.

This morning, a number of venues across the Maritimes that were in talks with Brett about renting the space for the beer expo received a message from him saying the expo was being cancelled “due to unforeseen circumstances.” He has told them he will be giving refunds to people who purchased tickets — how many did is unknown — although with no public email address, no public cellphone and no Facebook group, there is no way for participants to reach him.

Brett has ignored many attempts by The Telegram for comment on the beer expo and clarification about where the money raised from Mud Immortal has gone. Calls to his cellphone Wednesday night rang out before being picked up by an answering machine that was full; two hours later, the phone number had been disconnected. His email address and the Great Canadian Beer Expo Facebook page were both shut down by 10 a.m.

The Telegram is working on an update to this story.

CBClovesbeer wrote:Hey all - It's Jack Julian here with CBC News. First off props to Brewnosers for shining a light on this story early on. Since yesterday I've been lurking and getting ideas. That PDF you grabbed was very helpful in attempting to contact Jonathan Brett. He's dodging all my emails, phonecalls, texts and Facebook messages so far.
Anyway, I really want to do a follow tonight. My boss says I have 20 minutes to find people who bought tickets to this event and are pissed off and trying to get a refund. If I can find folks willing to go on camera, then she'll assign me.
Any takers?
I'm on my cell at 902 456 9180 in Halifax.

mr x wrote:Yeah, I'd like to see this thread mentioned a bit more. If you guys are on social media or whatever, throw it out there. CBC and the Telegram are doing a great job obviously, but we do deserve a little credit here. This part of the story started with us.

mr x wrote:Yeah, I'd like to see this thread mentioned a bit more. If you guys are on social media or whatever, throw it out there. CBC and the Telegram are doing a great job obviously, but we do deserve a little credit here. This part of the story started with us.

brufrog wrote:

mr x wrote:Yeah, I'd like to see this thread mentioned a bit more. If you guys are on social media or whatever, throw it out there. CBC and the Telegram are doing a great job obviously, but we do deserve a little credit here. This part of the story started with us.

I can do that. So what link do I use?

Carla Crotty wrote:BREWNOSERS: THANK YOU

I finally broke down and created a username and password for this site so I could personally thank you for the awesome detective work and blowing the lid on Jon Brett's latest scam. You have likely prevented many more from being duped into paying for entry to an event that was never going to happen! I have been working hard at ensuring he pays since the Mud Immortal event here in NL and you've just made things that much easier! I am well aware of the key role you guys played in breaking the news, and I've been sure to let people know. If any of you know anyone who purchased tickets, especially in PEI, I'd really like to hear from you. I'm not a reporter, so I've got no angle, just a concerned citizen who is trying to make sure this scumbag pays! Awesome job!

Carla Crotty

mr x wrote:...Certainly a dramatic turnaround from all the legit and prestigious entrepreneurial awards 7 years ago. Gives me pause for some of the awards that are handed out now.

mr x wrote:Yeah, I'd like to see this thread mentioned a bit more. If you guys are on social media or whatever, throw it out there. CBC and the Telegram are doing a great job obviously, but we do deserve a little credit here. This part of the story started with us.

mr x wrote:http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/ ... 303n07.htm

MedicLINK Systems Ltd. has received $351,698 from the Provincial Government’s Commercialization Program to develop its new dermatology software and market it in the United States.

From left to right: Jonathan Brett, CEO, MedicLINK with the Honourable Trevor Taylor, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

Several people to whom Brett is listed as owing money are former employees of a previous business he once ran. That business is now inactive. Under Newfoundland and Labrador law, company directors can be held personally liable for unpaid wages.

That now-inactive company did not repay roughly $600,000 in loans and contributions from Ottawa and the province, according to government records. But Brett is not personally liable for that cash.

Jimmy wrote:

Carla Crotty wrote:BREWNOSERS: THANK YOU

I finally broke down and created a username and password for this site so I could personally thank you for the awesome detective work and blowing the lid on Jon Brett's latest scam. You have likely prevented many more from being duped into paying for entry to an event that was never going to happen! I have been working hard at ensuring he pays since the Mud Immortal event here in NL and you've just made things that much easier! I am well aware of the key role you guys played in breaking the news, and I've been sure to let people know. If any of you know anyone who purchased tickets, especially in PEI, I'd really like to hear from you. I'm not a reporter, so I've got no angle, just a concerned citizen who is trying to make sure this scumbag pays! Awesome job!

Carla Crotty

I'm curious, did you find us because of this whole beer expo thing, or have you been a lurker for a while?

Carla Crotty wrote:Here is Tara Bradbury's story from The Telegram this morning - some more attention for the folks who broke this in the first place
http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2 ... eer-expo/1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;