Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie is voicing his disappointment and frustration after thousands of partygoers flooded Chancellor's Way on Saturday and held large parties around town.
The mayor said he is even aware of incidents of partygoers climbing on emergency vehicles and throwing beer bottles at police.
The Chancellor's Way party that attracted thousands, happened mere steps from the WDG Public Health's head office, where the battle to stop the spread of the pandemic and save lives continues.
Above all else, that was the ultimate slap in the face for Guthrie, who is highly critical of the behaviour that took over on Chancellor’s Way.
“That is the height of disappointment for me,” he said Monday morning, adding attendees intentionally flouted gathering size limits and physical distancing rules while they “rubbed it in the face of our frontline health workers.”
The gathering was full of “disrespect” and “incivility” beyond its mere size, Guthrie said.
Guelph police are still reviewing reports from the weekend and weren't immediately able to confirm the report of beer bottles being thrown at police.
University of Guelph president Charlotte Yates expressed the school's disappointment in a prepared statement.
“The university does not condone this behaviour and will not tolerate activity that puts people at risk, especially during a pandemic,” Yates said in a Sunday post on the university website.
“We will continue to work collaboratively with the City of Guelph, students, neighbourhood associations and other community partners to find effective solutions to the serious concerns associated with unsanctioned street gatherings.
“Ensuring public health and safety is a shared responsibility, and those who attended this large gathering did not behave responsibly.
“We also know that many of those in attendance were not our students, as such street gatherings attract people from all over due to their prominence on social media,” added Irene Thompson, the university’s interim-vice-provost of student affairs, in the statement.
Parties and large gatherings in front of an off-campus housing complex on Chancellor’s Way are nothing new on the day of the first home football game of the season, traditionally known as Homecoming Weekend.
This time around it didn’t carry that moniker, as officials looked to lessen or eliminate large gatherings. Additional policing was also put in place.
These annual shenanigans cost city taxpayers between $50,000 and $100,000 in staff time and resources, Guthrie said, noting he plans to approach the university’s leadership team about it.
“I can’t not broach the subject,” he said. “It doesn’t come free.”
A summary of weekend charges and other police-related information associated with the gatherings was not immediately available.
In a Saturday evening news release, police noted city bylaw enforcement and police officers responded to 106 calls for service between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. that day – the equivalent of one call every four minutes.
“These calls for service include at least 28 noise complaints and 15 incidents involving open liquor outdoors, resulting in numerous fines for those hosting gatherings, attending gatherings, and consuming alcohol outside private residences and licensed establishments,” the police release stated.
When he saw social media photos of the crowds, as well behaviours, Guthrie issued a tweet calling for fines to be issued and academic discipline hearings to be held.
Hey thousands ignoring public health guidelines, enjoy the fines & upcoming academic discipline hearings you rightly deserve. All during an ongoing pandemic, thinking only of yourself, putting many at risk, including our own emergency services staff dealing with this. Nice job.🤦🏼♂️
— Mayor Cam Guthrie (@CamGuthrie) September 26, 2021
In conversation with GuelphToday, Guthrie said he hopes the university will make an example of those involved and come down hard with student penalties. However, he urged the community not to paint all students with a single brush, noting a relatively small portion of the student body was there.
He pointed out that many students took it upon themselves to clean up the mess left behind the next morning and make public declarations of their opposition to what happened.
“That’s what makes them a really important part of our community and our economy,” Guthrie said of the university.
There are about 24,000 students on campus this year.
“I want to thank the vast majority of our students for not taking part in this unsanctioned gathering on Saturday,” said Thompson.
“We need students to do their part. We need them to find the balance between building new connections and having new experiences and being responsible citizens and following public health guidelines amid the fourth wave of COVID-19.”
