Parties that see college and university students climb onto rooftops to drink and socialize may soon be illegal in London.
A report going to the Community and Protective Services Committee on Wednesday calls for the act of sitting on a roof and drinking beer, recently dubbed "brewfing," to be included in the city's public nuisance bylaw.
The practice has become a concern for London police and bylaw officers who have noticed an uptick of rooftop parties over the past few years. During Western University's homecoming festivities last year, police were called to 15 rooftop parties in neighbourhoods around the campus.
The report by city staff recommending the bylaw amendment outlines the dangers associated with the practice.
"With slanted roofs and flat roofs with no guard rail systems, there is always the potential of a slip and fall causing bodily harm," the report reads.
It also notes, social gatherings on rooftops could result in roof collapses as roofs are designed for a certain snow load and not for public assembly.
The report cites brewfing as the cause of a roof collapse in California that sent dozens of students from a local university crashing to the ground in March 2015.
If approved, the act of gathering on rooftops would be added to the public nuisance bylaw, giving police the ability to issue those caught in violation $750 fine.
London's public nuisance bylaw was originally passed in May 2012, following the St. Patrick's Day riot on Flemming Dr. It was brought into force to address the issue of nuisance parties which can include a wide range of misconduct such as public drunkenness, public brawls, and unreasonable noise.