Noise complaints from music festival, unruly behaviour at fireworks display among concerns raised after Victoria Day long weekend in the Beach

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

From Electric Island to the Victoria Day fireworks display, this year’s May long weekend saw the Woodbine Beach area host several large-scale gatherings, leaving some residents excited and others disappointed with loud noise and unruly behaviour.

“I feel like I have a good memory of how bad the crowd or the turnout was each year, esp(ecially) as it relates to getting back to Woodbine station using the 92 (bus). It felt like this year the traffic and crowd were exceptionally bad,” said one resident following the Victoria Day fireworks at Ashbrides Bay on the night of Monday, May 18, in an email to Beach Metro Community News.

Through social media and emails, residents reported cases of beachgoers littering, burning charcoal left from barbecues, fireworks shot into crowds, and vandalism of property.

“Today, I watched a family using a massive BBQ, probably five feet long by three feet wide, finish cooking and then dump the ash right onto the ground in the park before leaving,” said one resident in a Facebook post.

In another post, one resident said visitors’ actions over the weekend were “disrespectful to the people who live here, the environment, and the city workers who will end up being the ones to clean up their mess.”

Others argued that Toronto police failed to effectively contain the illegal use of fireworks, while some suggested that future City of Toronto fireworks displays be moved to another location.

“The police can’t control this so all of these noisy dangerous events need to stop or at least be immediately moved to an area where they can actually be controlled,” said one resident.

Prior the long weekend, Supt. David Correa of 55 Division said additional police officers and specialized units would be deployed throughout the weekend to address concerns and safety issues.

“From today, up until Monday evening, the Toronto police, working with its partners, have created an operational plan to be able to support public safety,” said Correa in a press conference on Friday, May 15, at the Woodbine Beach Bathing Station.

In an email to Beach Metro Community News after the events, the Toronto Polce Service (TPS) media relations team said police presence was increased in the area over the weekend, and that five arrests were made on Victoria Day, two related to fireworks.

“This year, there was an increased police presence along Ashbridges Bay and Woodbine Beach, including our Mounted Unit, as well as officers patrolling on foot, ATVs, and bicycles,” said Nadine Ramadan, Senior Communications Advisor for TPS. “When illegal behaviour occurred, officers responded promptly and made arrests. In total, five arrests were made on Monday at Ashbridges Bay, two of which were related to fireworks.”

The Electric Island Festival’s opening night on Saturday, May 16, at Woodbine Park was also met with frustration from community members, who took to social media to share noise complaints.

“The area surrounding Woodbine Park is being subjected to HOURS of violent vibrating thumps that NEVER cease,” said one resident in an email to Beach Metro Community News. “Woodbine Park is a lovely park, NOT a concert venue.”

Electric Island took place on Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17, from 2:30 until 10 p.m.

In a post on Facebook after its opening night, Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford address concerns, announcing that he would be requesting the event organizers to lower sound volume the following evening.

“The sound impacts from the Electric Island event yesterday at Woodbine Park were unacceptable, even from kilometres away,” said Bradford following Saturday’s noise issues.

“I’ve spoken with event organizers and they’ve agreed to reduce the volume today, and I’ll be speaking with the bylaw on-site supervisor to make it clear that noise levels must be managed carefully and fully comply with their permit.”

Some residents continue to express concerns about whether this weekend’s issues will set a precedent for future events over the summer.

“The city needs to take control of this as the summer starts,” said one resident.