London police are reminding the public that anyone who “sponsors, hosts, creates, attends, allows or cause/permit a nuisance party” could face hefty fines after an incident on Broughdale Avenue over the weekend.
Just before midnight Friday, officers arrived on scene to find 200 to 300 people at a home on the infamous street.
Four tenants — two 20-year-olds, a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old — were issued provincial offence notices for violating the city’s recently updated public nuisance bylaw.
The fine is $1,000 plus a $130 surcharge.
In late August, the city approved amendments to the public nuisance bylaw with the goal of combating large unsanctioned gatherings, most notably Fake Homecoming (FoCo) celebrations.
Unsanctioned gatherings have long been a concern, but have escalated in recent years.
Roughly 10,000 people gathered on Broughdale in 2015, prompting Western University to push its annual homecoming to a later date beginning in 2016. The hope was that students would be in the middle of midterm exams, and the cooler weather would deter the outdoor partying seen along Broughdale in recent years.
It didn’t have the intended effect. The fake homecoming event was organized in response and in 2018, the crowd on Broughdale Avenue during FoCo swelled to 20,000.
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.
— with files from 980 CFPL’s Andrew Graham, Matthew Trevithick, and Jaclyn Carbone.