'Somebody is going to die': Growing fallout from Dalhousie's unofficial homecoming party
There's plenty of finger pointing, blame and anger in Halifax after thousands of Dalhousie University students took to the streets for an unofficial homecoming party over the weekend.
Police say between 3,000 to 4,000 people attended the annual, unsanctioned event spread over a couple of streets near the university, and there were indications things were getting out of hand.
"I would say it was near riot conditions," Dr. Caitlin Lees, who lives in the area, told CTV News Monday. "People were fighting, there was a fire in the street, and someone was stabbed."
In a statement issued Sunday, Halifax Regional Police (HRP) said dozens of tickets were issued, and officers who intervened found themselves targeted by the crowd.
"Our officers were pelted with anything that was available: beer bottles, cans, to debris that was left behind from the storm," said HRP spokesperson Const. John MacLeod.
The chief of police went further in a letter to Dalhousie's president, suggesting the university should have a "stronger role to play" in controlling unsanctioned events involving Dalhousie students.
But some say that's only part of the problem.
"There are other students from other jurisdictions that are able to plan to come over to this party," said Dalhousie Student Union President Aparna Moham.
"There were students from SMU, there were students from Mount St. Vincent, Acadia, St. FX. A lot of the students I was meeting were not even from Dal," she said.
For its part, Dalhousie says all of it is disappointing and unacceptable, but discouraging it is an uphill battle, especially with some online sites glorifying and advertising the party lifestyle.
"Particularly social media sites and others who are grabbing on to this idea of unsanctioned homecoming activities," said Dalhousie Vice-Provost Student Affairs, Rick Ezekiel, adding the problem isn't limited to Dalhousie.
"And really, in some instances, at institutions that never had homecoming before, really encouraging students to engage in this type of behaviour," said Ezekiel, citing London, Ontario, Ottawa, and Hamilton, among others.
"Our stance is, it's wildly unacceptable for students to engage in the behaviours we were seeing."
The problem has been ongoing over the years, with several complaints and disciplinary action lodged last year.
Dalhousie had previously warned students about the scheduled event on Sept. 16 and again on Sept. 28.
In an email to CTV News Sunday, a school spokesperson noted, "In addition to major fines levied by HRP for noise infractions, disturbances, property damage and alcohol-related offences, students may also be arrested. Students who engage in harmful behaviours that fall within the jurisdiction of Dalhousie’s Code of Student Conduct or Residence Community Living Standards also risk being sanctioned by Dalhousie through those mechanisms."
For area residents like Lees, the latest event was over the top, but solutions have no easy answers.
She acknowledges students have every right to have a good time, but no one has the right to trash a neighbourhood.
Dalhousie, she says, has a responsibility to encourage a fun and safe environment, but the city needs to enforce its bylaws.
In meantime, she has one worry.
"My biggest fear, actually, is that somebody is going to die."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.