Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie doesn’t believe the city’s hard-working taxpayers should have to foot the bill for damages after a raucous University of Guelph homecoming that resulted in numerous arrests.
Guthrie has seen the plethora of homecoming videos that are circulating online, showing fights, fires, and vandalism, and said he’s “very concerned about both the safety aspect of some of the situations I saw — and also the financial impacts.”
“I am beyond upset seeing videos of our emergency services getting bottles thrown at them and worse,” he said in a video posted to his social media accounts.
“I have heard from businesses today that I’ve been speaking with that had their windows smashed out and other property damage. And then there’s the garbage and then like, lighting of fires, and my goodness gracious.”
In a release, Guelph police said the gathering in the Chancellors Way area “was significantly larger than in recent years and generated several public-safety concerns.”
“Officers responded to incidents involving objects being thrown, people climbing buildings and other structures, as well as reports of shoplifting and vandalism affecting nearby businesses.
“Although no known serious injuries have been reported at the time of this release, emergency responders treated multiple people for injuries, including cuts and lacerations, and responded to a number of intoxication-related medical calls.”
The Guelph Police Service confirms its officers laid several criminal and provincial offence charges “including charges for causing a disturbance and numerous alcohol-related offences. Investigators continue to review reported incidents, video and other evidence, and additional charges may be forthcoming.”
the canadian homecoming party at the university of guelph (ontario, canada) got out of control. law enforcement had to show up pic.twitter.com/Vj0vsqGVa9
— uj (@umeshjj7) September 28, 2026
Guthrie, a former Guelph city councillor who is currently serving his third and final term as mayor, says aside from the obvious dangers, he’s fed-up with the costs associated with the annual events.
Depending on the year, he says he’s seen the city dinged with bills ranging from $10,000 to upwards of $100,000.
“On the financial side of it, I cannot stand that the taxpayers of Guelph have to front these issues every year,” he stressed. “Every dollar has to be treated with respect.”
Guthrie added that several years ago he actually sent a bill to the University of Guelph when it was under different leadership, but the attempt ultimately, “never went anywhere.”
While no dollar amount has been tagged to this year’s homecoming damages yet, he says it may be time to consider seeking compensation again.
“This is a good opportunity to at least broach the subject again and I think there’s a huge willingness with the university to be able to do that, and so I think that’s a conversation that must happen.”
CityNews has reached out to the University of Guelph, but did not receive a response by publication time.
“At the end of the day I’m a taxpayer too,” the maddened mayor stressed. “And I don’t want a dime of my hard-earned money going to this kind of stuff when other people are ultimately really responsible.”
He closed out his statement with messages to both parents, and students.
“It’s time to have a little parental talk, there’s a lot of maturing that needs to occur here,” he told parents of the students involved in the more egregious behaviours.
As for the students, he urged them to take responsibility.
“You are a guest in our city and we want to welcome you with open arms but that is a two-way street.”
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