COUNCIL LIFTS BAN ON RAVES

Fantino Endorses Tough New Rules

Rave on.

Toronto City Council has overwhelmingly supported a motion to
establish tough new rules for rave parties on city-owned property.

Yesterday's 50-4 vote also lifted the city's three-month-old ban on
raves on municipal property.

Rave promoters will have to:

* Provide ambulance workers and police officers at
events.

* Pay a $2,500 emergency medical services deposit.

* Not use drug language or pictures on event advertisements.

``Nobody here wants to stop people from dancing,'' Mayor Mel Lastman
said during the five-hour debate that dragged on over two days. ``We
just want everyone to get home safely.''

Promoters will also be subjected to a strict police protocol before
staging an event that includes risk assessment, site inspections,
background checks for party organizers and arrangements for hiring
paid-duty officers and licensed security.

Rave promoters were initially worried the provision for hiring
paid-duty officers wasn't clear enough and was only meant to drive
them out of business.

Most councillors agreed during yesterday's debate and they included
rules that require police to follow ``historical practices'' of
assigning paid-duty officers to events.

``We are very happy with the additions that were made to the police
portion of the protocol,'' said rave advocate Will Chang of the
Toronto Dance Safety Committee.

``It's added clarity. It's added accountability. And it's something
rave promoters can work with.''

He said he plans to meet with Toronto rave promoters to go over the
new rules.

Chang also hopes Toronto's intervention into the workings of the
popular rave scene will make other Canadian cities follow suit.

Police Chief Julian Fantino is also happy with the city's new rave
rules. ``A good thing has happened,'' he said. ``It's a fair balance,
reasonable approach. Hopefully, everyone will come together to ensure
these events are done in a safe environment.''

Asked by reporters what he thinks about allowing all-night parties on
municipal property, despite the fact drugs like ecstasy are used, he
said: ``I've approached this strictly from my mandate as police chief.
. . . If I was to moralize on a personal basis, I'd probably be saying
a lot more.''

He's optimistic though that the recent discussion on rave culture has
woken the public up to the ``serious'' drug problem associated with
it.

The four councillors who rejected the city's new rave rules were vocal
in their opposition.

``You heard from the police department that 80 per cent of the people
who attend raves are high on a substance and you want to as
councillors allow them on city property to get high,'' George
Mammoliti (North York Humber) said. ``You're turning away your heads
to the problem.''

After the vote Mammoliti couldn't hide his disappointment. ``I think
that council has made a huge error and I think we're in for a number
of lawsuits and I hope I'm not in a position to say `I told you so'
when somebody dies on city property.''

The other councillors who opposed the motion were Tom Jakobek (East
Toronto), Ron Moeser (Scarborough Highland Creek) and Sherene Shaw
(Scarborough Agincourt).

Councillor Olivia Chow (Downtown), a prominent supporter of the
motion, said the process taken in establishing the rules was an
excellent example of council working with its young
constituents.

``What is happening is young people are saying to the city, `We care,
we want to take responsibility, we respect city government.' They made
a difference, they persuaded councillors that they want to work with
us, rather than having us work against them.''

City council banned raves from city-owned property in May after there
were 24 drug arrests at an Exhibition Place event where 54 police
officers and 97 security guards watched over 8,100 revellers.

A ban was advocated by Fantino who said 80 per cent of people there
were using drugs.

In June, an inquest into the death of Ryerson student Allen Ho, 21, at
a rave last October recommended city council allow raves on municipal
property to ensure public safety.