With the St. Patrick’s Day weekend underway, the City of Hamilton and police are reminding residents of the year-round nuisance party bylaw with fines up to $10,000.
Peace officers are now out patrolling the entire city with specific focus on an area around McMaster University, which includes Westdale and Dalewood.
The city now has zero tolerance for nuisance parties via last year’s passing of a party bylaw essentially giving police and bylaw officers discretion to charge individuals as needed.
“We want to remind those participating to stay safe and celebrate responsibly,” Hamilton police Const. Indy Bharaj told Global News.
“Police will have an increased presence in the community over the weekend to discourage any disruptive behaviour.”
Bharaj said the city’s RIDE program will also be stepped up, seeking to take impaired drivers off the road.
He suggests those going out during the weekend make advance plans for getting to and from home.
The city’s nuisance party bylaw became a reality late last year after councillors voted to move forward with suggestions made in a staff report.
Fines start at $300 for attending and $500 for hosting a nuisance party as defined by excessive noise, illegal alcohol consumption, overcrowding and other factors.