The City of Mississauga says a court-ordered injunction issued to crackdown on large gatherings and illegal activities at a troublesome plaza was “extremely effective.”
Earlier this month, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted the city’s request for a court order against the owners of Ridgeway Plaza, a commercial plaza near Ridgeway Drive and Eglinton Avenue West that is home to many shops and eateries, to crack down on “nuisance gatherings” beginning on Aug. 13.
Mississauga city officials said that for two years, it has received several complaints, including large gatherings of more than 3,000 people, loud music and other noises, racing in the parking lot and street, fighting and the use of illegal fireworks.
In an update on Thursday, city officials told Global News that the court injunction allowed for enhanced enforcement measures.
“The injunction was extremely effective and allowed people to enter the plaza and patronize the businesses while ensuring public safety, which has always been our main priority,” said Deputy Mayor and Ward 8 Coun. Matt Mahoney in a statement.
“Although we still saw large numbers of people at Ridgeway Plaza on the dates that the injunction Orders were in effect, the enhanced enforcement measures enabled staff and Peel Regional Police to work together to effectively manage the crowds and to clear the plaza without incident when a Nuisance Gathering was declared.”
Mahoney said the city plans to work closely with the property owners to help manage and prevent nuisance gatherings in the future. Y.L. Hendler Ltd. is the property management company contracted by the condominium corporation.
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Part of the reason the city said it originally pursued the injunction was to prevent “planned unsanctioned events” that may disrupt order and safety. Those events were Pakistan Independence Day on Aug. 13 and 14, and Afghanistan Independence Day on Aug. 19.
During the three days of the injunction, several tickets were handed out and charges were laid.
The City of Mississauga’s bylaw enforcement handed out five fines for an owner failing to display a licence, two penalties for an owner operating an unlicensed eatery, one ticket for carrying out a business with a name that wasn’t on the licence and one provincial offence notice for offering to sell retail/display merchandise from other than a portable display unit.
The city’s parking enforcement issued four fines for parking in an accessible space without a permit, two tickets for parking in a fire route and one ticket for parking in a prohibited area.
Meanwhile, Mississauga fire also issued multiple charges and orders, which are pending. These include overcrowding, exit signs that were obstructed or not illuminated, no fire safety plan in place, blocked exits, improper discarding of ashes, inadequate ventilation and fire protection for cooking operations, open flames that create a hazard and failing to comply with an order.
The city noted staff is still assessing evidence from events on those three days, and more charges may be laid in the coming weeks or months.
It also said Peel Regional Police has an operational plan in order to enforce the city’s injunction order to ensure public safety.
Although there were nuisance gatherings, the city said no arrests were made and people obeyed police orders when asked to leave.
“Officers will continue to be on be on-site to address any issues and, if necessary, may close the plaza, restrict surrounding streets, and remove individuals who refuse to comply with lawful orders,” the city said, adding authorities will have an increased presence at the plaza on dates that have been observed to have had increased attendance historically.
“Moving forward, the hope is that the condo corporations will agree to work with the City’s staff to understand the type of measures required to prevent nuisance gatherings from occurring in the future. In the meantime, the City will continue to enforce its Nuisance Gathering By-law when needed while also considering if and when further court action may be required to protect public safety.”
— with files from Aaron D’Andrea
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