A handful of residents in Thibeault Terrace say the noise and partying in the neighbourhood has escalated from the start of the school year.
Timothy Elzinga, says noise, partying and open alcohol was clearly apparent in the evening Friday and during the day Saturday in their neighbourhood which has been nicknamed, “the Student Ghetto,” by the local residents.
Police were seen patrolling the neighbourhood talking to party-goers, and even putting one in handcuffs according to witnesses.
See related story: OPINION: Student Ghetto of Thibeault Terrace forcing residents to leave
See related story: Police will be cracking down on party behaviour after Thibeault Terrace concerns
Elzinga also got two unwelcoming visits to his doorstep from the same angry student.
“After the police left, I actually had a partygoer ring my doorbell and with beer on his breath yell at me that I was a nark for calling the cops, he was just drunk and I had to walk him off my property threatening to call the cops again,” explained Elzinga.
“The student came back at supper time screaming at my front door, rapping on my door, threatening me and I had to call the cops again,” he added noting that Saturday night was quiet assuming the students were at the homecoming hockey game at Memorial Gardens.
The concerns this weekend has led the neighbourhood to create its own closed Facebook group about the partying problem.
“We all keep each other posted on parties, noise violations, traffic violations and if the police have been called,” he said.
“It's over a hundred members strong. I've even heard that Nipissing and Canadore sent out a letter to their students giving them a little talking to this week, explaining the consequences of disrupting the peace, partying.”
BayToday.ca has contacted the North Bay Police Service, Nipissing University and Canadore College about the allegations.
Shawn Chorney, vice-president of Enrollment Management, Indigenous & Student Services at Canadore says the College has been a valued partner to our community for 50 years, and is committed to maintaining positive relationships with its stakeholders.
“It is our mandate to provide quality training and education to the next generation of workers that meets the needs of our local and provincial economies. We believe that a part of educating our learners includes providing them with opportunities and resources to take on positive roles within our community. In conjunction with Nipissing University, we have rolled out a multi-faceted ‘Good Neighbour’ campaign for our students, outlining how to live responsibly and amicably within the community. This campaign was created in response to concerns recently expressed,” said Chorney in a statement to BayToday.ca
“Our student population’s average age is 23 and the College runs a very comprehensive program of student life activities geared to their interests throughout the academic year. The programming promotes social, cultural and volunteer opportunities, and is proven to be more conducive to promoting overall student success in and out of the classroom.”
Chorney says it's his belief that communities are made up of neighbourhoods, and neighbourhoods are made up of moving parts, and every neighbourhood part has a role to play in creating a positive environment.
Sarah McGowan is the Director of communications for the Nipissing University Students Union.
She believes the minority does not represent the majority when it comes to this issue.
"We got a lot of good feedback this weekend in regards to homecoming where students had gone and introduced themselves to their neighbours," said McGowan.
"We do think there is a lot of good that is happening but unfortunately, there is going to be a couple of hiccups here and there but we ask that the community members introduce themselves and likewise the students introduce themselves to the residents and build that relationship."
Casey Phillips Associate Vice-President, Students, at Nipissing University says Nipissing University is committed to the community and works to build and maintain positive relationships on many levels, including between students and neighbors.
"We meet regularly with the City and the police to discuss town-gown relationships and determine how we can best serve our students and our community, and we’ve seen some positive results there; for example, the Good Neighbor campaign messaging that was well received by students recently. Many students are working to keep positive lines of communication open with their neighbors, and that is wonderful to see. We’ll continue to work with our community partners and our students as we all play a role in community building."
