Policing bill for most recent street party near Dalhousie campus was $82K

The cost of policing the last two street parties near the Dalhousie University campus in south-end Halifax was almost $96,000, with roughly $82,000 of that coming from the most recent one last October.

The parties that attracted thousands of young people to the area around Preston, Jennings and Larch streets became a public relations headache for the school, and date back to at least 2017.

Police estimated there were 3,000 people at the peak of the most recent party. They arrested two people and issued almost 100 tickets.

A person was stabbed at the 2022 party.

"I do think that everybody in Halifax should be dismayed by the resources that go into managing this and concerned about what it means for their access to emergency resources as well," said Dr. Caitlin Lees, an area resident who also works in a hospital emergency department.

The policing costs were disclosed in response to a freedom of information request filed by a neighbourhood resident. It said the policing costs were $13,344.26 in 2022 and $82,334.18, a year later.

In a statement, Halifax Regional Police said the force doesn't usually provide details on the number of officers who respond to incidents. It said "given the concerns expressed in relation to the 2022 incidents additional resources were deemed necessary for both officer and public safety" for last fall's street party.

Lees said the police presence was much more visible during this gathering.

"But it was still a huge party," she said. "It was still unsafe. There were still fights in the streets. There are still people trespassing into yards. There is still property damage."

Dalhousie declined an interview request and did not answer a question about whether it would pay the policing bills.

Instead, it sent along a three-paragraph statement that said street parties are a complex and growing problem at North American universities, the university is addressing the root causes of the issues and is finding ways for students to feel connected to each other.

The wording borrows heavily from the statement the university provided to journalists after the Oct. 1, 2023, street party.

In the days leading up to that party, Dalhousie officials circulated a plan internally detailing how they would respond to questions about the gatherings.

"Our key messages and response to media inquiries will continue to focus on the significant work that has been undertaken in 2022-2023 around this issue," said the plan, which was one of the documents obtained by CBC News through an access to information request.