HoCo street party fines target popular YouTuber, but he vows to return in 2022
A month after the unsanctioned homecoming party on Broughdale Avenue, near Western University campus, many partygoers face a financial hangover.
City Hall has issued 38 fines totalling $29,000 -- with some Administrative Monetary Penalty notices arriving in the mail as recently as last week.
Two of those fines were just sent to YouTuber/Podcaster Jack Denmo, who launched his online career filming rowdy street parties including HoCo.
“I ain’t paying!” Denmo tells CTV News London. “What I’m going to do is dispute it. Go in and meet with whoever I need to.”
“We are very concerned about the posting of dangerous events on social media platforms such as YouTube,” explains Orest Katolyk, director of Municipal Law Enforcement at City Hall.
Not speaking specifically about Denmo, Katolyk says online videos can fuel unsanctioned parties and dangerous behaviour.
Thirty people were hospitalized at homecoming parties around Western University last month.
“The 15 minutes of fame could easily translate into more than 15 minutes in the back of an ambulance,” he warns.
Katolyk adds that TikTok has started removing rowdy party videos that display dangerous behaviour.
“They are starting to lay down the hammer on this kind of documentation of rowdy behaviour,” admits Denmo. “But realistically this has been going on since universities began, the only difference is now people film it and put it online.”
Denmo’s 2019 video from Broughdale Avenue has garnered more than 717,000 views on YouTube.
He says the combined $1,300 fine wouldn’t impact his online business model, but City Hall’s efforts to crack down on the party have crossed the line.
“It changes my opinion of the country. I don’t want to live in a place where I’m not allowed to walk down the road, or drink a beer on my front lawn. That just sounds crazy whether or not it’s HoCo.”
Denmo believes his videos attract students to attend the schools where he films.
Repeat offenders could see fines doubled according to City Hall, but he vows to be back in September 2022.
“It absolutely does not change anything for me coming there in the future.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
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.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
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.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.