MAYOR BLOWS THROUGH RAVE

VICTORIA -- Unlike some other jurisdictions in B.C. and Canada, raves are
legal in the provincial capital.

But the controversy surrounding that decision sent Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe
to see for himself early yesterday.

The mayor spent about 90 minutes at "Summer School 2000," a rave in the
city's aging Memorial Arena that drew more than 4,000 young people.

He said it's too soon to render a final judgment, until all reports from
the police and ambulance services are in.

But his first impression, he said, was that a controlled rave such as
Summer School was still a better option than having so many teenagers
gather in a field or warehouse where there are no controls on them at all.

"The first impression is that these are young people having a lot of fun,"
Lowe said.

And, he said, a huge safety and security force appeared to be picking up on
problems before they could develop far. Security was so tight that some
people had to wait as long as two hours to get into the building as
everyone was frisked by a private security company for alcohol, weapons or
anything else problematic.

A crew of 20 "special duty" Victoria police officers also patrolled the
arena's hallways and mezzanines, keeping watch for any trouble. A private
first-aid company attended to minor problems with a crew of provincial
ambulance paramedics on hand for anything more serious.

By the end of the night, they'd treated about 10 drug overdoses, almost all
involving the rave drug of choice, Ecstacy. Three were taken to hospital,
but none was reported in serious condition. Police officers pointed out
some young people who were obviously stoned on the drug.

The young people participating told the mayor they felt much safer at a
rave than at a rock concert or even on the downtown streets, where alcohol
can cause much more violence.