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
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 which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.