As excited Western University students and alumni gear up for the first restriction-free homecoming since the pandemic began, London police are reminding them to keep the parties off the streets.
Western’s 73rd homecoming kicks off Friday with festivities and events continuing throughout the weekend.
While the university has planned many on campus activities to mark the occasion, the weekend always sees unsanctioned gatherings in and around student populated neighbourhoods. As such police have brought in additional officers to deal with an expected increase in calls for service around the university, as well as continue to respond to needs throughout the rest of the city.
“Officers from York Region and Hamilton will be working alongside our members,” said London police Constable Sandsasha Bough. “We will be firm but fair in our efforts to enforce the applicable municipal, provincial, and criminal code laws, but our top priority is safety – the safety of those in attendance and of the larger community.”
Officers will be on the lookout for open liquor, underage drinking, violation of city bylaws and criminal code infractions. They will also be doing their best to ensure streets remain clear, particularly for emergency vehicles.
Last year, videos of unsanctioned street parties that popped up after dark on the Saturday night showed one person hanging from a street sign on St. George Street, another doing a back-flip off of a utility pole into the crowd below, and three men drinking on the hood of a moving vehicle. Broughdale Avenue, a dead-end street near campus has in the years before the pandemic been packed with crowds of roughly 20,000 people. In 2018, 57 revellers were sent to hospital during the festivities and the cost of policing the gathering rose to more than $150,000.
While not getting into specifics, Bough said police have “operational plans” in place to tackle any potential large gatherings.
“Public safety is our priority… We all play a part in this,” said Bough.
Police, the London Fire Department, Middlesex-London Paramedic Services, the Middlesex London Health Unit, London Health Sciences Centre, along with officials from Western and Fanshawe College have been meeting regularly for several months to work out a plan to keep a lid on wild student parties.
The hospital network took to social media on Friday to offer students tips to avoid spending homecoming in the emergency room. The LHSC advised students to monitor alcohol consumption and stay hydrated, remember that alcohol and drugs impair decision making, plan a safe ride to and from parties, and to ensure they are easily visible outside – particularly at night.
For its part, Western has stepped up on-campus fun to entice students to spend their time there instead of at unsanctioned gatherings.
The Western Mustang Band will be performing a ‘Homecoming Hill Session’ on University College Hill starting at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The Western Mustangs football team will then take on the Waterloo Warriors at Western Alumni Stadium at 1 p.m. The university will also be holding its first ever “student fan festival” from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will include 20 plus food trucks, hot air balloon rides, live music, games, and a sweepstakes to win tuition, books and meal plan. On Sunday, Juno-nominated, Canadian Hip Hop legend Wes ‘Maestro’ Williams and Faculty of Education grad Rhodora Meliton-Vanderpool team up for a reading and discussion. Maestro will also perform his new single “Backpack Check”.
University Drive Bridge and a couple of campus roads will be closed to vehicular traffic on Saturday. All routes will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists.
