City council passes 'nuisance' bylaw after last year's wild 'fake homecoming' at McMaster

Hamilton city council has a new bylaw in place to crack down on out-of-control parties.

Hamilton city councillors unanimously passed the nuisance party bylaw on Wednesday, which is now in effect and will allow police and bylaw enforcement to hand out harsher penalties.

It comes after destructive, unsanctioned homecoming and St. Patrick's Day parties near McMaster University.

"If charged, an individual host, property owner, or attendee can face up to $10,000 for a first offence and $25,000 for any subsequent offence related to a nuisance party. Additional remedial charges may also be imposed, acting as a further deterrent to individuals responsible for nuisance parties," the city said in a media release Wednesday.

The city defines a nuisance party as a gathering where one of numerous activities including public intoxication, damage to property and excessive noise occurs.

Several municipalities like Waterloo, Guelph, Kingston, and Brampton have similar bylaws.

The city, police and others will also undergo a public education campaign to teach people about the new bylaw.

The city and police have also developed a "University District Safety Initiative" to address gatherings that take place during homecoming and St. Patrick's Day.

That includes a "zero tolerance enforcement" of the nuisance party bylaw.

That will be implemented on Sept. 28 and end on Oct. 3, targeting Dalewood Avenue and nearby areas.

Over $265K spent to address unsanctioned parties

Last October, some 5,000 people crowded the Ainslie Wood area near McMaster University, during the first football game of the year for Hamilton's McMaster Marauders.

A first-year student saw her car smashed and flipped over.

People reportedly entered the backyards of people living in the neighbourhood, ripped out street signs and threw alcohol bottles at each other.

A city staff report said it cost the Hamilton Paramedic Service $19,605.76 to respond to the event. The city also spent $1,731.37 cleaning out the street, and replacing traffic signs.

It's unclear how much police and bylaw enforcement spent.

The event led police, fire, paramedics, bylaw, public health and McMaster to create a working group to address the large gatherings.

During this year's St. Patrick's Day, the group worked in advance to try and address potential parties.

They reported spending $243,944.33 and 482 labour hours to address and mitigate the risks of the St. Patrick's Day parties near Dalewood and Westwood.