Is HoCo a full-go this Saturday? Students predict street party's return to Broughdale Ave.
COVID-19 crashed the party in 2020, but London may not be so lucky this weekend.
Despite numerous warnings from police, public health, and school administration -- students living on Broughdale Avenue expect tens-of-thousands of revellers will return for this year’s unsanctioned street party to celebrate homecoming at Western University.
“To tell all the students not to have the party, is going to be impossible,” says Teshai Moore, who rents a house on the cull-de-sac near campus.
Malek El Sanyoura is visiting from North York for homecoming, “I think there’s going to be a lot of people, especially because there isn’t going to be the concert (on campus) to divert people from here.”
Last September, in the midst of the pandemic, Broughdale was quiet on homecoming weekend, earning students the gratitude of public health officials and civic leaders.
A sign for Broughdale Avenue near Western University campus in London, Ont. is seen Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. (Daryl Newcombe / CTV News)
Mayor Ed Holder suggests a series of rowdy street parties that ignored pandemic gathering rules during Orientation Week has London police preparing for the worst.
“It’s probably fair to say a proactive response with very strong law enforcement will be a part of it,” Holder hints.
In 2019, London police estimated their response to the unsanctioned event cost taxpayers about $300,000.
"Unsanctioned street parties are highly dangerous and put our students at great risk. Those risks are compounded right now by the threat of COVID-19 and our students have a critical role to play in keeping circles small, protecting our community and each other," said Alan Shepard, president of Western University in a statement.
This week officers went door-to-door on Broughdale warning tenants about the fines for violating gathering limits of 100 people outdoors or 25 people indoors.
Under the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s new Section 22 Order, an initial ticket of $750 would be issued to anyone attending a gathering that exceeds the limits, but fines could be as high as $5,000.
Hosting a gathering that exceeds the limits is a $10,000 fine.
A number of fines can also be issued related to nuisance parties and unruly behaviour.
For serious incidents off campus, students could also face discipline under Western University’s Code of Conduct ranging from suspension to expulsion.
Broughdale Avenue tenant Adam Honchar believes students will come on Saturday -- pandemic or not.
“They’ll have lecture halls filled with thousands of people spaced two feet apart, but they’re more worried about people partying outside in public?” he asks rhetorically.
The threat of hefty fines is already drawing criticism from some student tenants.
Teshai Moore says if police can’t keep a crowd of thousands away from Broughdale, how can his house stay within the gathering limits?
“I’m not sure how we are supposed to count 100 people on our lawn and make sure no more than 100 get on.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.