City of London approves public nuisance bylaw changes in effort to tame Fake Homecoming celebrations

The City of London has a new tool when it comes to putting a muzzle on Fake Homecoming (FoCo) celebrations.

City council’s Tuesday meeting saw the approval of amendments to London’s public nuisance bylaw that aim to put a lid on the unsanctioned party.

FoCo was first held to protest Western University’s decision to push its annual homecoming to a later date surrounded by midterm exams.

Known for taking a toll on the city’s resources, last year’s FoCo drew 20,000 revellers to Broughdale Avenue and left the city with a $200,000 bill for emergency services.

The bylaw tweaks take aim at those who “sponsor, conduct, continue, host, create or cause” any party deemed a nuisance.

The party-starters will be responsible for bringing the party to an end. If the city has to step in bring the nuisance to an end, the party-starter will have to cover the cost of any city services deployed.

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On top of that, those responsible for the nuisance party will also have to pay an hourly rate for the presence of any emergency services or municipal law enforcement officers who are brought to the scene.

The amendments, which are the latest result of a months-long effort to curb FoCo celebrations, garnered praise when they were proposed at committee level two weeks ago.

Tuesday’s meeting saw zero debate over the amendments, but Ward 6 Coun. Phil Squire made comments prior to its passing.

“People have to understand that relying on laws and rules is one thing, but it really involves a sense of community, and students are a part of community,” said Squire.

“Conversely, they have to recognize that behaviour maybe a few are undertaking reflects on them also, and I think they have done that and they understand that.”

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Squire added that a public meeting on Sept. 12 will inform the public of the bylaw changes and their potential consequences.

This year’s FoCo is slated to take place on Sept. 28.

At the time of publication, a Facebook event for the unsanctioned party boasted nearly 4,000 people attending, with an additional 4,600 marked as interested in attending.

Meantime, Western’s sanctioned Homecoming Facebook event has far smaller numbers with fewer than 500 people marked as attending and another 1,400 marked as interested in attending the October celebration.