CHIEF CRITICIZES RAVE SAFETY HEARINGS

The first night of public hearings on rave safety was slammed by police
Chief Ken Robertson who said the proceedings were a waste of taxpayers'
money. "We should find better things to do with public money than to find
ways that allow drug dealers to exploit our young people," Robertson said.

The chief made his comments last night during the first of two public
consultations, hosted by the Task Group on Safe All-Night Dance Events.

Robertson said that he will never support raves or any moves to regulate
the events, describing them as "all-night drug parties." He suggested that
the city should run its own dance parties from 7 p.m. until 2 a.m. He said
kids would attend the events because they would be drug free and the city
could obtain the best DJ's.

Rave promoter Erik MacKinnon, who also spoke to the task group, dismissed
the chief's idea.

"The best DJ's who draw the biggest crowds cost up to $25,000 for a
three-hour set," MacKinnon said. "If the city is willing to pay for it, I'm
sure kids will come but I doubt (the chief) has thought of the costs."

MacKinnon also suggested that even if the city ran dance parties, it would
be almost impossible to prevent kids from taking ecstacy beforehand.

MacKinnon said that in the three years he's been involved in staging raves,
the chief's comments were some of the harshest he's ever heard.

Police forced organizers of a rave at Hamilton Convention Centre to cut
short their event one year ago. A rave scheduled for Mohawk College last
March was cancelled by organizers after police raised safety concerns.

About 25 turned out for last night's session. The second meeting is
scheduled for tonight in room 110 at City Hall. The three-hour session
begins at 7 p.m.

The task group was formed last spring by city council in response to
concerns raised by Hamilton's medical officer of health.

The MOH recommended council find a safe way to stage raves. At the same
time, he wanted the risks of the drugs, commonplace at such events, made
known to those who attend.

Ryerson University student Allan Ho died of an overdose while on the drug
ecstacy during a rave in an underground parking garage in Toronto, Oct. 10,
1999. Concerns rose in Hamilton when Mohawk College student Salim Jabaji
was murdered at a Toronto rave 24 days ago.

Last night's meeting and tonight's meeting are the final steps to collect
information which will go to the medical officer of health. He will then
make a recommendation to city council in the summer. Council will then
decide if a bylaw regulating raves should be drafted.

Supporters of raves say that failure to regulate the dances will drive them
underground where health and safety concerns are often ignored.

Rave parties started to explode in Europe during the early 1980s. They are
strongly influenced by the dance music scene that developed during the same
time period in the Spanish resort of Ibiza and select parts of Britain.

Although raves didn't start to spring up in Canada until the late 1980s and
early '90s, they have garnered a strong following with a penchant for
consuming "rave drugs."

The most popular rave drug is Ecstasy or MDMA. It is a stimulant with some
hallucinogenic properties and it comes in tablet form. Long-term effects
include brain and/or liver damage and its consumption can result in death
in some cases. It takes about 30 minutes to kick in and lasts six to eight
hours. It costs $30 to $40 per hit.