Nuisance party bylaw into effect ahead of St. Patrick’s Day weekend

The City of Hamilton and McMaster University are taking steps to keep students and the community safe ahead of St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

The University District Safety Initiative (UDSI), which enforces the Nuisance Party bylaw, went into effect from Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and will run until Monday, at 11:59 p.m.

The area covered by the initiative include the neighbourhoods around the university including on the school’s grounds.

The city announced on X Wednesday that the UDSI has been expanded to include the Ainslie Wood neighbourhood.

The boundary for the University District Safety Initiative has been expanded to include the Ainslie Wood neighbourhood. Learn about enforcement measures to avoid a fine or potential charge. https://t.co/YaxQEtFILC #HamOnt pic.twitter.com/E6sTjgzfmz

— City of Hamilton (@cityofhamilton) March 12, 2025

The city designed and first implemented the bylaw in 2022 after multiple parties at homes near the university in 2021 caused thousands of dollars worth of damages to properties and vehicles.

The bylaw previously went into effect ahead of homecoming weekend at the university in October, 2024, where Hamilton police say an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 people gathered in the Westdale and Ainslie Woods neighbourhoods.

A “nuisance party” is a gathering on a premises that results in any one or more of:

• public disorderly conduct;
• public drunkenness or public intoxication;
• the unlawful sale, furnishing or distribution of alcohol or control substances;
• leaving garbage or damaging public or private property;
• increased pedestrian traffic, vehicle traffic or parking that obstructs the free flow of traffic that could get in the way of emergency services;
• unlawful use of fireworks;
• public disturbances, including brawls or public fights;
• outdoor public urination or defecation;
• use of or entry upon a roof not intended for people to be on.

A person charged under the bylaw may be required to appear before a justice of the peace at an Ontario courthouse.

A conviction may result in a fine, probation, or other orders, and if charged, an individual host, property owner, or attendee can face up to $10,000 for a first offence, and a $25,000 penalty for a subsequent offence related to a nuisance party.

Several administrative penalties – like attending a nuisance party or failing to leave a party when ordered to – can cost between $300 to $500 each.

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