The drug overdose death of a 19-year-old woman at an all-ages party at Rebel Nightclub has renewed a call to ban the events in Toronto.
Late Friday night, Toronto police were called to Rebel Nightclub (formerly known as Sound Academy) on Polson Pier for reports of attendees overdosing.
A woman was rushed to hospital via emergency run where she was pronounced dead.
Police confirmed that the victim -- along with several other young people – were exhibiting signs of a drug overdose, potentially from a party drug.
A friend of the victim identified her to CTV News Toronto as 19-year-old Violet Davidson.
Breana Whitehouse was with Davidson and a group of friends at Rebel Nightclub that Friday night. She said once they had their bags searched at the door, they walked into the washroom to take MDMA, also known as Molly.
“Everything seemed fine for the most part but over the course of the night, she started to act really weird and things weren’t making sense to me – her actions and what she was saying.” Whitehouse said.
The group eventually tried to make their way through the packed crowd to get a spot closer to the stage and were ultimately separated from Davidson.
“I couldn’t get her to come over to us. She was just staring up at the ceiling and wasn’t there mentally,” she said. “We didn’t really think anything of it. We just kind of went and did our own thing for a while and said we’d meet up with her later.”
“(It was when) we tried to find her that we got a call from a police officer who told us she was in hospital.”
Whitehouse said that, to her knowledge, it was the first time Davidson had taken MDMA.
Mammoliti wages war against EDM events
In the wake of the news, Toronto city Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti released a statement condemning the city for supposed inaction against “all-age EDM (Electronic Dance Music) dances” as they are “no place for children.”
“Tragic incidences like what happened over the weekend were preventable deaths. I told the city that it would happen again. Especially as we see a fentanyl epidemic sweeping the country, we must be vigilant against illicit substances at raves and all-age EDM dances,” Mammoliti said in the statement Tuesday.
“Coun. Perks, Coun. Layton and former Coun. Olivia Chow have continually shouted me down, accusing me of deliberately causing panic. Now we see another lethal consequence of all-age EDMs (sic). How many more children have to die until my council colleagues wake up and act?”
Speaking to CTV News Toronto on Tuesday, Mammoliti said he plans on approaching the city’s licensing committee again to ‘do away with’ licenses for establishments that opt to hold the parties.
“I’m not looking to get rid of raves, its all-age raves that I’m looking at,” he said.
“We’ve got to stop them because they’re much more than that. We’re talking about 12, 14, 15-year-old children (who are) literally drinking and dancing and taking drugs.”
It’s not the first time Mammoliti has taken up a fight against electronic music parties.
Back in April 2014, Coun. Mammoliti introduced a motion proposing the city ban all-age electronic music parties at city-owned buildings.
Though council initially passed the motion, it was overturned shortly after.
At an unrelated event Tuesday, Toronto Mayor John Tory shot down the idea of a ban on all-age electronic music events, insinuating that bans don’t work to prevent drug use but rather serve to “make people feel better temporarily.”
“I think that the default position is always to ban things. We’ve actually banned a lot of these drugs and that doesn’t seem to work that well in the context of people finding a way to use them,” he said. “If you said you were going to ban a particular kind of concert, I’m not sure that is going to address the problem of the use of these drugs by people at all or the use of them in excessive quantities.”
Tory went on to address the opioid crisis rocking the west coast, where the death toll in Vancouver has increased month over month.
He said he’s scheduled a number of meetings in the new year with experts to determine what more the city can do to combat illicit drug use.
“I look at what is going on in the city of Vancouver and my heart goes out to the city and to the victims of overdose and to that community, because that is a series of searing tragedies,” he said.
“I think it’s incumbent upon us to take whatever steps we can, whether it’s on a loss of life basis at one concert all the way through to more wide spread events we’re seeing in other cities which we don’t want to happen here.”
Police could not speak to whether the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl or carfentanil played a role in the death, but said a toxicology has been ordered.
Victim a ‘happy, bubbly person who cared about others’
Davidson loved art and photography, was a student at Durham College and a huge fan of the show ‘Supernatural,’ her friend Austin Bray told CTV News Toronto.
“She was the bond for our group. She never had a bad thing to say about anybody. She always had a smile on her face,” he said. “She got to meet them (Supernatural) last year and I think that was one of that happiest days of her life. She was hoping to go again next year to see them again.”
Bray said he dropped off Whitehouse, his girlfriend, at the club that night. He said that was the last time he got to see Davidson.
“For this place in particular, they really need to work on everything. From what I was told, they don’t really check anything they just quickly frisk you over and let you go on your way,” he said. “I think they were making statements that they check them (attendees) in detail, but that’s really not the case.”
“It doesn’t feel real,” Whitehouse added. “It feels like we’re constantly in a bad dream just waiting to wake up from it and we’ll see her one day.”
Whitehouse, who was also treated by paramedics on site and cleared, urged others to make more informed decisions before deciding to take party drugs.
“You never know what’s in it,” she said. “I know everyone says this, but an hour high isn’t worth your life or your friends life. I would do anything to have her back or change the night and not let that happen to her.”
Ink Entertainment, the company behind a number of successful Toronto clubs and restaurants, including Rebel Nightclub, said Monday that it abides by a “zero tolerance drug policy” at its events and requires every attendee be searched before entering.
“Anyone who is caught with an illegal substance is immediately denied entry,” a spokesperson for Ink Entertainment said in a statement.
“We employ an EMS company on-site for every music concert and club night.”
According to a Facebook event page, Toronto-based electronic music duo DVBBS were performing at the club Friday night.
The group has yet to comment on the matter.
“Violet was just a really kind and caring person,” Whitehouse said. “It’s just really sad for her not to be here anymore.”
Donations can be made to Davidson's family through Go Fund Me to help with the funeral costs.
