Pubdate: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 1999, The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Page: A35 Author: John Borst, Dryden, Ont. RAVE SCENE CAN SELF-REGULATE The rave-crackdown summit announced by Consumer Affairs Minister Bob Runciman is a case of deja vu for this 1950s rock 'n' roll fan (It's no party: Crackdown looms on all-night raves, Nov. 4). In the mid-'50s, rock moved from underground clubs to big venue arenas. City fathers in big U.S. cities cried moral decay and did everything in their power to bring down the radio deejays who powered and sponsored the events. In Toronto, then a rock backwater, WKBW's George (The Hound) Lorenze moved rock out of the old Mutual St. arena and into Maple Leaf Gardens. Raves are now at the same point in their development, only this time Toronto is one of the leading rave centres in North America. Raves crept into Toronto in the late 1980s and during the past five years, with the development of responsible management, have moved from backstreet warehouses to big-time centres, such as the CNE's Automotive Centre and Better Living Building. This Tory government has incessantly applauded entrepreneurship, particularly by the young in our province. In Toronto, the young entrepreneurs from Lifeforce and Dose have put the city at the forefront of the world rave scene. They have done it with the co-operation of the city police, health authorities and, as the above venues testify, the assistance of the city. Yet now they are branded "illicit dances" and "notorious parties" and must be stamped out by the morally superior forces at Queen's Park and panicky city councillors. Drugs and alcohol go down at every club and bar, the Molson Centre and the SkyDome. And, from time to time, people die either directly or indirectly for their attendance in such crowds. Crying foul about raves is hypocrisy in the extreme. A hallmark of this government has been to let business regulate itself. The rave scene in Toronto has responsible companies that can do that. They should be invited to participate in the summit so politicians can learn what is involved, before they go off half-cocked and destroy what is developing into a major revenue-producing product for the city. I don't know if this is a back-door way for big corporate interests to horn in on what is obviously big-time money. If it isn't, Runciman will only succeed in driving the dance scene back underground, with all its attendant dangers. John Borst - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea