Last week, we reported the Canadian city Edmonton was considering a temporary ban on raves. Thankfully, a city committee has voted to not place the temporary ban after all.
The city proposed the temporary ban—or moratorium—after it released a report about raves in the area. The report found that rave attendees were approximately 30 times more likely to be sent to a hospital regular concertgoers in the last two years. The Edmonton Police Service also supported the moratorium, arguing that raves required more emergency services.
The Edmonton rave and dance community attended the city committee’s to air their concerns. Viet Nguyen, partner at Boodang and co-founder at AGNT, told CTV Edmonton he was pleased with the committee’s decision.
“I think it’s the right move — 100 per cent. I’m happy about it, but at the same time, I know there’s a lot of work to do,” he said.
To improve the medical concerns for raves, Edmoton promoters have focused on harm reduction. Nguyen said hiring on-site physicians and nurses could help, and that “they can remedy symptoms quicker, on-site, and send patients on their way, versus sending them away via transport.”
The city also tried to place a similar moratorium on combative sports events last year, but it was lifted after three months. Despite the medical concerns, it looks like raves are here to stay in Edmonton. Here’s hoping medical issues are alleviated in the future.
H/T: CTV Edmonton | Cover Photo: Northern Lights
