GUELPH – Guelph’s emergency services are tallying up the tab for their response to the rambunctious homecoming with an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 attendees on Chancellors Way on Sept. 26.
Ahead of their open meeting scheduled for Oct. 15, the Guelph Police Service Board said in their agenda “homecoming operations involved approximately 88 police and civilian members and generated 874.5 overtime hours as of the date of this report.”
The total cost for policing is an estimated $91,000 and the University of Guelph “supported the deployment” of 22 officers at the event.
Of the 550 incidents recorded in Guelph that day, police acknowledge about 250 of those were directly related to homecoming; the number of incidents also represent a more than 100 per cent increase in typical call volume.
Paramedics from across the region were also quite active that day.
Cliff Eggleton, general manager and chief of Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Service (GWPS) said they responded to 73 or so 911 calls related to homecoming and GWPS assessed over 90 patients.
He also said Guelph General Hospital was “overwhelmed” by the roughly 60 patients being admitted due to homecoming activities.
GWPS are still figuring out the exact figure of how many units responded to the unsanctioned party, but Eggleton did say each ambulance response costs an estimated $800-$900.
But it’s without question the activities at this year’s homecoming called for an emergency response en masse.
As for the damage to public and private property Guelph Police said four property damage reports have been identified at this time.
Police said a bus shelter was damaged, two private vehicles on Chancellors Way were damaged along with other personal property.
“Several businesses in the area were also impacted and have made various complaints which are still under investigation,” Guelph Police said in their report.
As for arrest and criminal charges six have been confirmed as of the police report date, but they said “additional charges are anticipated as the review progresses.”
Four arrests were related to public intoxication, one for assault and another for causing a public disturbance.
Guelph police also made note of eleven criminal occurrences, including seven assaults, one “offensive weapons occurrence,” one mischief occurrence involving public property and one mischief occurrence involving a vehicle.
Police said the estimated attendance figure does not include the spillage of people into surrounding streets.
City of Guelph staff say they are unable to share data points from the Guelph Fire Department at this time, but more information will be released in a “complete report” on Oct. 23.
