If a city committee gets its way, Londoners will no longer be able to “brewf.”
The community and protective services committee unanimously approved an update to London’s public nuisance bylaw to crack down on rooftop parties, otherwise known as “brewfing.”
The city staff report drew snickers from some in the community and condemnation from others who felt this was an example of the nanny state intruding where it didn’t belong.
London police municipal bylaw officers broke up 15 brewing party’s during Western Homecoming last year.
City staff argued in favour of the bylaw update saying social gatherings on roofs create a potentially dangerous condition of roof collapse as roofs are designed for a certain snow load and not public assembly. With slanted roofs and flat roofs with no guardrail systems, there is always the potential of a slip and fall causing bodily harm.
Despite the debate online in the lead-up to the meeting, no one showed up for the public participation meeting and the whole matter was dealt with in less than five minutes.
Ward 1 Coun. Michael van Holst, who is not a member of the committee but attended the meeting, asked if his old habit from his university days of playing his saxophone on the roof would result in a ticket.
“When I got home I would grab a beer and I would grab my saxophone and crawl out onto the roof and play for an hour or so. Is that the kind of thing that would warrant a fine?” he asked.
Van Holst was assured his rooftop playing would not have resulted in a ticket.
The updated bylaw is targeted at groups, not individuals. The public nuisance bylaw it falls under defines a nuisance party as something that involves disorderly conduct, public drunkenness, the deposit of refuse on public or private property and damage to or destruction of public or private property.
Staff say the term “brewfing” originated with a previous incident at a California University when a roof collapsed during a St. Patrick’s Day party.
The issue now goes to full council for a final vote March 2.
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