REGULATING RAVES RAISES TRICKY QUESTIONS

Community: Toronto's a magnet To rave or not to rave; that is not the
question. Whether or not City of Hamilton health officials and city council
decide it's a good idea to regulate large all-night dance parties, raves
will continue to thrive. But not here, and that's a significant point.

Leave aside, for a moment, the question of regulating raves here. The fact
is they exist in spades a mere one-hour car ride away in Toronto. The rave
scene there is well-developed and big business. How many Hamilton and area
teens, college and university students take part in the Toronto rave scene?
Promoters claim between 5,000 and 10,000; but, in any case, the number is
probably significant. Raves are reality, and our collective disapproval
isn't going to make them go away, any more than the disapproval of our
parents changed our view or participation in "the scene" of the day.

If Hamilton officials decide it's better to regulate raves than ignore
them, will we see them springing up here? Will local rave-goers choose to
stay in Hamilton rather than travel to the big city down the highway?

Of course not. Toronto is more than just rave-central. It's a destination
in and of itself. Much as we are unabashed Hamilton boosters, we're not
naive enough to believe that local ravers will choose a regulated rave at
Copps Coliseum over a weekend trip to Toronto.

So, the question of whether or not Hamilton should have rave regulations is
to some degree academic.

And the answer to that academic question is no.

Hamilton Police Chief Ken Robertson seems to think raves are evil
incarnate. He describes them as drug-infested parties where violence and
recklessness are rampant. He sees the people who run raves as unscrupulous
entrepreneurs at best, criminals at worst. At first blush, this position
seems unreasonably militant, and perhaps it is. But what other position
could the chief legitimately hold?

Toronto has a regulated rave scene. That didn't prevent the killing of
Mohawk College student, Salim Jabaji, a month ago. Whether or not drugs are
as rampant as Robertson says they are, we know that there is some drug
trafficking and use at raves. Given these undeniable facts, why is anyone
surprised that the chief is adamantly opposed to any measure that lends
credibility, approval or legitimacy to raves?

In any case, Robertson's opinion, while important, isn't the be all and end
all. He's a police officer, not an elected official. This is a matter of
public policy, and it will be decided by the people elected to do that job,
as it must be.

Here is the question city council must answer: Are Hamiltonians -- ravers
and the rest of us -- best served and protected by a regulatory environment
that lends tacit approval to raves?

Again, the answer is no. At least not until rave promoters can demonstrate
with more certainty that illegal drugs are not regularly trafficked and
consumed, often by people who are not yet of legal drinking age.