A community and public services committee report recommends an immediate moratorium on the electronic music dance parties because of wide use of drugs that has seen dozens of people rushed to hospital in past years.
The recommendation comes at the suggestion of the police, said Ward 6 Coun. Scott McKeen.
“It’s the number of medical incidents … council has a duty of care to its residents and if there are one or two incidents then we would have to accept that that is potentially the risk of a younger audience getting together and partying,” McKeen. “But it’s the number of medical events, the sexual assaults, the date rape drug is being found … so it’s pretty hard to defend those numbers.”
The report said that drug overdoses begin by about 10:30 p.m. or 11 p.m. and, as the evening progresses, the overdoses become more pronounced. The predominant drugs consumed, it said are ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine and the date-rape drug GHB.
In the most recent event, 18 patients were treated on the scene for drug-related illnesses and 11 others were transported to hospital emergency rooms. This tied up police officers and paramedics at hospitals for several hours, and emergency medical service to the rest of the city was significantly reduced, the report said.
These overdoses are a significant burden on hospital emergency departments at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and University Hospital, it said.
In contrast, a 2016 sold-out Drake concert of more than 20,000 had one person taken to hospital while a 2017 Metallica concert at Commonwealth Stadium with an audience of 43,900 had four people taken to the hospital.
So far this year, of 5,500 people who attended raves at the Shaw Conference Centre, 18 people were given medical help. In 2017, of the 29,362 people who attended six raves at the Shaw, 84 people received medical treatment and 26 were taken to hospital. In 2016, 78 people at seven raves received medical treatment of 31,939 who attended.
“When you have to call a dozen firefighters and paramedics and cops, then there’s an issue,” McKeen said. “I’m not sure there was that much response required for Woodstock.”
He said the organizers had said that they were committed to reducing these numbers but the numbers tell a different story.
“So, it’s a moratorium while this group can look at possible ways to change the situation to improve health and safety of people who attend those events,” he said.
There is enough evidence, McKeen said, to take a step back, pause and evaluate how things can be changed.
“This is not the town council in the movie Footloose,” he said. “People are at risk of being harmed, assaulted or even dying and I don’t care what age you are, how much you are into electronic dance music, I think there has to be a sober recognition that those are not sober statistics.”
The city describes raves as after-hour club parties, electronic music shows and electronic dance parties that feature fast-paced electronic music and light shows.
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