'Significant' Hamilton police presence expected ahead of unsanctioned homecoming parties
Hamilton Police Service (HPS) is advising residents who live in neighbourhoods near McMaster University there will be a significant police presence Saturday in anticipation of "unsanctioned" homecoming celebrations.
In a release issued Tuesday, HPS said residents of Ainslie Woods and Westdale neighbourhoods “can expect a significant police presence on [Oct. 1] to address an unsanctioned street gathering planned to celebrate homecoming.”
Last year, an unsanctioned homecoming event in the Ainslie Woods area drew a crowd of approximately 5,000 partiers, and saw two individuals charged for Liquor Licence Act Offences
Photos of McMaster students participating in an unsanctioned homecoming event in 2021. (@ward1wilson/Twitter)
“Unsanctioned street gatherings are unsafe and result in unnecessary demands on all of our emergency services, including our hospitals,” HPS Superintendent Dave Hennick said in Tuesday’s release.
“They are disruptive to the community and pose significant safety risks to those in attendance.”
In addition to police, HPS said Hamilton Fire, Hamilton Paramedics, By-law Officers, Parking enforcement officials and Special Constables from McMaster Security have “enhanced their staffing and presence” ahead of Saturday.
This month, the City of Hamilton introduced a new Nuisance Party Bylaw, which makes it illegal to host, attend, permit, continue or refuse to leave an area, once it has been declared a nuisance.
“In addition to fines and penalties, people who conduct or host nuisance parties may be liable for remedial costs for fees from first responders, and/or, municipal law enforcement officers and City of Hamilton for attending the scene,” the release said.
Officials at McMaster have made it clear that any street events in the area are unsanctioned and have "no ties" to the institution.
"Even though there are no homecoming events [planned] at the university, Hamilton could still be the focus for some street events, which, in the past, have been organized and promoted by people with no connection to the university," the school said in a statement issued earlier this month.
"McMaster does not support these types of activities and actively works with community partners to try and dissuade students from attending street parties which can also attract large numbers of people from outside of the city. This is a challenge many cities are facing, not just Hamilton."
McMaster President David Farrar called last year’s event “reckless and destruction” in a statement issued following the incident.
The last sanctioned homecoming event hosted by McMaster University was in 2019.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.