Guelph’s Chief of Police narrowed down this year’s Homecoming issues to two words on Thursday: Chancellor’s Way.
Police Chief Jeff DeRuyter told the Guelph Police Services board that police were well prepared for Homecoming on Sept. 23, knowing it was one of two days (St. Patrick’s Day being the other) when things can escalate.
But what they didn’t plan for, DeRuyter told the board, was a party attracting around 4,000 people to the student-housing complexes that line Chancellor’s Way in south Guelph.
“We’re very positive our plan would have worked had it not been for what happened on Chancellor’s Way,” DeRuyter said.
“This was a new thing to us.”
That party led to 36 officers being assigned there throughout the day, meaning that even though extra police were on duty that day, there weren’t enough to handle many of the calls coming in from other south end neighbourhoods.
DeRuyter said police knew in advance there was a party being planned for Chancellor’s Way, having seen it promoted on Facebook, but that they reached out to those planning the party and “had assurances” it wouldn’t happen.
It did.
Students started gathering en masse around 11:30 and by late afternoon it was jam packed with people.
“It started out as a normal day, but what developed later in the morning is crowds began to grow,” DeRuyter said. “The crowds were just streaming in coming from Edinburgh Road.”
The party peaked at around 4 p.m.
Given the size of the crowd, DeRuyter said police’s role became making sure people were safe.
“By-and-large it was a friendly crowd,’ he said.
Police received 124 noise complaints that day, 32 more than the year before and almost double what they had in 2015.
Board member Christine Billings, a city councillor whose riding is in south Guelph, said that for many residents there was a feeling that they were not safe.
Billings said that “a discussion we need to have” is what is the University of Guelph’s responsibility.
DeRuyter said that banning Homecoming might not solve the problem.
“If you ban it, then I think maybe you’re stuck with something worse that you have no control of,” he said.
DeRuyter told the board that one of the fears is that the Chancellor’s Way party is “going to be a trend they’re going to want to continue.”
“How do we deal with preventing a Chancellor’s Way?” he said.
City, by-law, emergency services and University of Guelph officials are working at answering that question, he said, adding that other cities like Kingston and Waterloo are asking similar questions.
One of the ideas that has been floated is all universities holding their Homecoming on the same day to help offset those who travel from Homecoming to Homecoming for the party.
The Chief pointed out that St. Patrick's Day 2018 also falls on a Saturday.
