'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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.