Skip to main content

Huge homecoming parties result in arrests, fines across Canadian college towns

Share
HALIFAX -

On several big Canadian campuses Monday, the morning chatter wasn't about classwork or assignments. Instead, students traded gossip about some of the huge parties that took place over the weekend.

Thousands of post-secondary students packed the streets in Guelph, Ont., London, Ont. and Halifax on Saturday, breaking liquor laws, COVID-19 restrictions and in some cases, property.

But some students got more than a homecoming hangover for their efforts, as police in Halifax issued tickets and arrested 10 people for public drunkenness. Police in London arrested one person and issued a number of fines. Partygoers in Guelph were limited to tickets and fines.

College town rowdiness may not be new, but it seems public patience has evaporated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Enjoy the fines & upcoming academic discipline hearings you rightly deserve," Guelph mayor Cam Guthrie tweeted Saturday.

Halifax city councillor Waye Mason blamed the high number of first-year students as a result of the number of high-school graduates who deferred post-secondary studies amid the pandemic.

"You have twice the population of students who have no kind of grounding in adult behaviour in public," he told CTV National News.

In a news release, Dalhousie University admonished those who attended what it called an "unsanctioned" and "illegal" event, urging them to get tested for COVID-19 and "not to attend classes or general on-campus activities for one week."

Dalhousie's student union fired back, insisting the incident was predictable and preventable while criticizing school administration.

"Dalhousie currently has an on-campus dry policy. You're also not allowed to have visitors in residence," Madeleine H. Stinson, president of the student union, told CTV National News. "We know students were going to party and Dalhousie created it so that they couldn't do so on campus."

Meanwhile, Halifax police are investigating the events of the weekend and said it could result in charges. Dalhousie has also threatened to fine or even to expel students who participated in the party. 

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

BREAKING

BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants

Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.

Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence

During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.

Local Spotlight

Stay Connected