A large, unsanctioned meetup of modified cars planned for Grand Bend, Ont., failed to materialize this weekend, something the town’s mayor attributes to the heavy police presence that amassed to deter the illegal event.
Upwards of 300 vehicles were expected to arrive in the Lake Huron town on Friday and Saturday, prompting concerns from local officials about safety and potential rowdy behaviour.
Several police cruisers and an Ontario Provincial Police mobile command unit vehicle set up in the parking lot of the town’s Sobeys store over the weekend, where the rally was set to take shape, Doug Cook, the mayor of Lambton Shores, said.
Ultimately, few rally-goers showed up, he said. Lambton Shores is the municipality that includes Grand Bend, Port Franks, and Pinery Provincial Park.
“I was in Grand Bend all weekend and didn’t hear much of anything, I didn’t see much of anything, and we weren’t told of really any incidents at all,” he said by phone on Sunday.
“We heard of a few people that did come into town that had their vehicles actually taken off the road because enforcement was there for safe driving, and low-rider vehicles don’t meet a lot of the highway traffic laws.”
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Cook said he heard rumours the meet may have been moved to nearby Zurich or London, but believes it’s likely it wasn’t held at all due to the police and rainy weather.
An estimated 30 to 40 police officers were deployed to keep a lid on things, he said.
“I’ll call it a success at this point.”
Ontario Chronicle contacted the OPP for comment but did not receive a response by publication.
Officials in Wasaga Beach notified Lambton Shores about the rally several weeks ago, Cook said.
Similar rallies in the Simcoe County town during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to disturbances, property damage, and criminal and Highway Traffic Act charges. In 2022, two OPP cruisers had their windows smashed while officers were inside.
Videos and photos posted online that year showed street racing, stunt driving, vandalism, and drivers performing burnouts and doughnuts.
The incident led to the town’s mayor, Nina Bifolchi, issuing a statement questioning why more police resources weren’t available to maintain law and order.
The town was granted a court injunction last year that made attending or promoting the rally to be a breach of a court order. A rally still went ahead, resulting in OPP laying more than 250 charges.
Organizers of this weekend’s planned Grand Bend event previously told Ontario Chronicle safety was a top priority and that they welcomed an increased police presence.
A member of the since-deleted ‘H2Oi.24’ Instagram account, which promoted the rally, said they had warned participants that illegal activity would be reported to the police.
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Several facing charges after massive car rally causes chaos in Ontario community
Street racing, stunt driving and vandalism are just a few of the crimes that police are investigating in Wasaga Beach, Ont., after a large group of car enthusiasts gathered there and caused mayhem in the community on the weekend.
The name is a reference to the H2Oi modified car meetup previously held in Maryland. Large crowds, drag racing, and vehicle collisions have been reported in connection with H2Oi rallies in the United States.
“We need to be given the chance to prove that we can have a safe enjoyable car meet,” wrote the unidentified individual, who declined to be interviewed and refused to provide their name.
“We don’t need to be heckled over little things like if vehicles are lowered an inch.”
The individual said they were not affiliated with other H2Oi meets.
