CITY WRESTLING WITH RAVE RAGE

Possible Ban At Ex May Drive Parties Underground

Pressure is mounting on the city to pull out of the rave business, but Exhibition Place chairman Councillor Joe Pantalone says critics may be overreacting.

Twenty-four people were arrested on drug-related charges and three taken to hospital at a rave attended by 8,000 youths at Exhibition Place on the weekend.

"There's no such thing as a safe rave and now we're an accomplice to it," Councillor Tom Jakobek, the city's budget chief, said yesterday.  "I don't want to look into the face of the parents of the first kid to go."

"If we can't supervise it properly, then we shouldn't be in the business," said Councillor Doug Holyday, a member of the CNE board of directors.  "I'm embarrassed that the city has a part in this."

Yesterday, Pantalone said he was willing to review the issue but maintained his long-standing position that it's better to have raves in a controlled environment.

"With 8,000 people and no violence and no injuries -- that's a pretty well-behaved crowd," Pantalone said.  "The last thing we want to do is to drive it underground where there are no emergency services."

The organizers of the rave, Goin' Deep Productions, paid the city about $55,000 to use the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place.  They also paid for 70 off-duty police officers, and paramedics were posted nearby.

Pantalone suggested the problem is being blown out of proportion.  He wants numbers from police comparing drug use in raves to drug use at clubs and other entertainment events.  He hopes to meet with police Chief Julian Fantino within the next two weeks to discuss the issue.

"Let's use our heads rather than a knee-jerk," Pantalone said.

Police Supt.  Ron Taverner said the city should look at limiting the size of the raves and increasing awareness about drug abuse.  He and Eric Conroy, an adviser to police on drug abuse, called on the federal government to get back into drug-abuse education.

Exhibition Place doesn't have another rave scheduled until Halloween, said Pantalone.