Acadia student fined after hosting party for more than 75 people

A student at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., has been fined for violating the Emergency Management Actafter hosting a party that more than 75 peopleattended.

RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Andrew Joyce said police received a call Thursdayaround 11 p.m. about a large group of students at a home on Bay Street.

Police broke up the party and ticketed the host. The fine for the offence is $697.50.

The university doesn't know the identity of the party host, according spokesperson Sherri Turner, and, therefore, no disciplinary action has been taken.

"The university is encouraged by the RCMP's prompt response to the situation in the neighbourhood. However, they did not publicly release the name of the individual charged," Turner said in an email.

"Anyone found to be in breach of Acadia's student code of conduct will face discipline through our non-academic judicial process. Thankfully, most of our students are responsible and respectful," she added.

Last month, a student was expelled from Universit Sainte-Anne after they failed to self-isolateupon arriving in Nova Scotia, and later tested positive for COVID-19.

Last weekend, police were called to several large house partiesin Antigonish, N.S., where St. Francis Xavier University is located. A number of people were charged.

Nova Scotia has three active cases of COVID-19, but hasn't reported a new casein a week.

"Nova Scotians in general have been adhering to the directives outlined by the provincial government and have been doing a very good job, it's only a certain few that have not and we want to get the message clear that Nova Scotians take this very seriously," said Joyce.

To help put an end to large, off-campus parties, Wolfville recently tried a new tactic:visiting known party houses.

Residents, Acadia's president, Wolfville's mayor and the president of the student unionwent door to door, visiting houses and speaking directly with the students living there to get the message across.

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