Arrests made as police respond to large street party near Dalhousie campus

Halifax Regional Police responded to a large street party near Dalhousie University on Sunday afternoon.

In posts on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, police said a number of arrests have been made and tickets issued.

Police said any action that "unreasonably disturbs the neighbourhood" would result in charges.

According to a post, severe incidents could result in criminal charges and warnings do not have to be given before a ticket is issued.

The street parties have been an ongoing problem in the area near the university's Studley Campus.

Last month, Dalhousie and the Halifax Regional Municipality announced the creation of a joint task force to respond to these "unsanctioned street gatherings." 

One of the goals of the task force, a release announcing the initiative said, was to establish an education campaign to "prevent or mitigate" the parties, by increasing awareness and clearly outlining the consequences for those hosting or participating in them. 

Several arrests were made last year after one man was stabbed and several people were injured at a large street party in the same neighbourhood.

Dalhousie has scheduled official homecoming events next weekend. Because it is Thanksgiving weekend and many students will be away, some students decided to organize unsanctioned street parties this weekend.

Police urged members of the public to avoid the area because of the size of the crowds. As of Sunday at 7 p.m., there was still a large police presence in the area.