Fencing has gone up on Ezra Avenue, in Waterloo, Ont.’s university district, in the hopes it will deter people from taking part in unsanctioned St. Patrick’s Day street parties.
Crews installed the fencing on Wednesday afternoon, one of many tactics the City of Waterloo and Waterloo Regional Police are using to limit the potential crowd size.
On Monday, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted an injunction that would permit officers to arrest, detain or charge anyone who violates the city’s nuisance bylaw in the university district between March 14 at 12 a.m. and March 17 at 11:59 p.m.
Police will also be door-knocking in the area, in an effort to educate residents about the court injunction and its repercussions.
“[We] will have cards with [a] QR code directing people to the city’s website for more information,” Waterloo Regional Police explained in an email to CTV News.
The city will also put up signage around the university district to help educate people.
In past years, anyone participating in the large unsanctioned street party risked being ticketed or fined.
“There are now additional significant legal consequences for gathering,” Nicole Papke, the city’s director of municipal enforcement, said in Monday’s media release.
The court injunction also applies to parties at people’s homes, as long as it meets the criteria of a nuisance party. That can include anything from public intoxication, unreasonable noise or other disturbances.
“We ask that those celebrating do so in a licensed, legal establishment and not on a street where the potential for disruptive and dangerous situations may arise,” advised Mark Crowell, chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service.
