Police and city crack down on Vaughan, Ont. car rallies

Vaughan officials on Tuesday vowed to crack down on illegal car rallies with hefty fines as police released video footage of “dangerous” car rallies over the past few months.

Video released by York Regional Police shows hundreds of vehicles participating in various rallies, some during the day and some at night. Aerial footage from a police helicopter shows people rocking cars back and forth through the crowd. Cars with various modifications smoke and emit bright flashes.

Rallies are usually held in the parking lots of big box retailers. In one part of the video, a hatchback can be seen driving with its trunk open, with people sitting in the back and dangling their legs. The hatchback then drove into the McDonald's and was pulled over by police.

Police said in a statement that the rallies were characterized by “dangerous drivers and large crowds” and posed a “significant risk” to the community.

“The scale and scope of these rallies should really concern everyone,” YRP chief Jim McSween said at a press conference on Tuesday. “And risky behavior is a public safety issue.”

He said these groups take over parking lots, lots and other private property where they engage in criminal offences, such as dangerous driving or provincial offences, such as drifting, burnouts, wheelies, donuts and overcapacity vehicles. . hanging from windows and trunks.

“These stunts are often performed in front of a crowd of onlookers who are too close to the dangerous acts to capture the next viral video for social media,” McSween said.

The rallies are sometimes linked to serious criminal activity, police said. Last month, more than 100 people attended an unsanctioned car rally at Weston Road and Highway 7 where a 15-year-old girl was shot in the parking lot of the plaza. He survived, but McSween said violence is not tolerated in the community.

The YRP has recorded 532 car rallies in the region since 2001 and 331 of those took place in Vaughan, the chief said.

Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca said at the March 26 council meeting that he amended the city's special events and noise ordinances to prohibit any participation in unauthorized car parades.

In this image from a video released by York Regional Police, people are sitting in the trunk of a hatchback at a motorcade. (YRP / Handout)

The changes mean people will be banned from fundraising or advertising for the car rally; being a spectator or bringing a car to a car parade; being a passenger in a motorcade; obstructing regular vehicular or pedestrian traffic or being a vendor at a car rally.

Even if you are not at a rally, you can be fined for having a car, with a maximum fine of $10,000.

“Unauthorized car parades are not allowed in Won. Period,” Del Duca said. “These gatherings are disturbing to residents and businesses and pose a significant threat to public safety. The kind of behavior that occurs at these events is unacceptable and we will do everything we can to stop such incidents from happening.”

Police and the city are working to stop the “Operation Silent Night” rallies, and they say they're starting now because incidents tend to flare up again this time of year.

Participants rocked a car at the rally in a video released by York Regional Police. (YRP / Handout)

Ann Marie Thomas of the Insurance Bureau of Canada says those who participate in car parades can face financial consequences in terms of their insurance coverage.

“Street races and rallies are a threat to public safety,” he said. “For those who engage in this type of behavior, you are putting your insurance at risk.”

He warned that people who modify their cars to participate in rallies could have their insurance canceled if they do not notify their insurer and get approval for the modifications.