Police report increase in drug use at Ever After Music Festival
KITCHENER — The number of people who were impaired by drugs or alcohol at the Ever After Music Festival at Bingemans was up from last year, and that’s cause for concern, says a report to be presented at the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board on Wednesday.
The report says the number of young people impaired put “significant pressure” on medical staff at the event held in Kitchener last month.
Police said they received 342 calls. Nearly half of them were related to drugs, with 129 drug-related incidents and 100 noise complaints. The remainder ranged from public intoxication, medical calls with transportation to a local hospital and other liquor offences.
In the three-page report, police say, “officers utilized discretion to lay charges where appropriate, but given the abundance of illicit drugs and the volume of seizures, charging everyone is not realistic or practical.”
Police said there was an “amnesty box” at the front entrances to allow concertgoers to drop off their drug packages without penalty.
The electronic dance music festival was held June 2 to 4 at Bingemans. The private event is organized by a Woodbridge company. The event attracts young people between 16 and 25. This year’s party, the third annual, had 8,000 people Friday night and 15,000 on both Saturday and Sunday.
Police said they had 35 paid-duty officers for Saturday and Sunday along with 18 auxiliary unit members.
But planning of the event involved a staff sergeant and “a significant commitment” by three inspectors.
Despite the planning and the increased intoxication, police only laid nine charges. The report says the event was largely peaceful and participants co-operated.
Robert Crossan, deputy chief of the Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services, said paramedics took 24 people to hospital for extreme drug and alcohol intoxication.
Patrons transported to an emergency department for care would have been unconscious or unable to stand or walk, he said.
Last year, 12 festival goers were transported to hospital.
The private company paid for the paramedics as well as a first aid company for backup.
Two ambulances with four paramedics and one supervisor were on-site while the festival was going on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. Patients were taken to hospital steadily throughout the weekend event.
Both police and paramedics say they are considering increasing their numbers with more paramedics on site and more paid-duty police to cope with drug seizures.
The festival organizer pays for the cost of the paramedics and a supervisor to be posted at the festival, and that doesn’t affect the number of paramedics out in the community.
Crossan said calls for service continued after the festival with many partygoers staying in area hotels.
Jeff Young, manager of special events for the City of Kitchener, said the private company met all requirements with the city for permits and licences which included noise exemption, fire department inspection, road closures, special event permits and a food truck licence. Bylaw officers were also on site.