Mac homecoming party response cost nearly $160,000

The city's response to this year's fake McMaster homecoming party cost Hamiltonians nearly $160,000, according to figures provided to The Spectator.

The unsanctioned event - which took place on Oct. 1 - saw thousands of partiers fill the streets of both the Westdale and Ainslie Wood neighbourhoods, creating a sea of maroon and white.

However, the attendees were met by an on-the-ground team that totalled more than 250 police officers, bylaw officers, firefighters and city workers.

The response saw houses along Dalewood Avenue blocked with police tape and large trucks strategically parked at intersections to prevent traffic on the street. A large police drone whirred over the area and horses with the mounted unit patrolled the outskirts.

Speaking to the Hamilton Police Services Board Thursday, deputy chief Ryan Diodati said the cost of the police response alone totalled around $135,000.

In an email to The Spectator, city spokesperson Michelle Shantz said the estimated costs for homecoming staffing on the municipal side totalled nearly $25,000.

Shantz said bylaw enforcement cost $4,592, while the fire department cost $8,596 and paramedic services $11,444.

Diodati said the tone and feel" of the unsanctioned event felt different" compared to last year, pointing to the creation and implementation of a nuisance party bylaw with beefed-up fines.

The bylaw was prompted by last year's event, which saw around 5,000 partiers fill the streets near McMaster, trampling lawns, swinging from trees, clambering on rooftops and destroying a car.

The bylaw deals with nuisance behaviours" ranging from public drunkenness to excessive noise, blocking traffic and property damage.

While the bylaw was never intended to stop the event, it was our collective hope that it would cause many to decide not to attend," said Diodati. And it is our belief that it was successful."

More than a dozen partygoers were issued bylaw charges and provincial offence notices - including 11 under the new bylaw, which carries a penalty of $300 to as much as $10,000, depending on the nature of the infractions.

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com