'Let us have some fun': Students and neighbours in Waterloo divided on St. Patrick's Day injunction
CBC
There's mixed reaction in Waterloo to an injuction allowing police to detain, arrest and charge anyone who is participating in unsanctioned street parties in that city this weekend.
It's in anticipation of a tradition on and around St. Patrick's Day that sees thousands of students take to the streets in the University District of Waterloo to drink, party and sometimes cause chaos and disorder.
The injunction order granted to the city by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice will be in effect from Friday, March 14 at 12:00 a.m. to Monday, March 17 at 11:59 p.m.
"The injunction attaches a criminal code charge to what was previously the nuisance by-law. Previously, you would be charged with a ticket. Now you can be charged with a criminal offence for breaching a court order," said Jen Davis, deputy chief for the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS).
Davis says street parties around St. Patrick's Day are a growing problem in Waterloo and that the injunction will help police to better deal with them.
"We've seen a gradual increase in people attending these events, and we needed to look for new and fresh solutions for how we could ensure public safety," she said, adding in past years they have received numerous reports of safety concerns in the area in past years.
"We've had previous reports of large crowds standing on garage roofs, multiple incidents of mischief like furniture that has been set on fire on roadways," she said.
The University district area includes the Northdale and MacGregor neighbourhoods, the southern portion of the Sugarbush neighbourhood, and a majority of the Uptown neighbourhood. It also includes Waterloo Park.
Kae Elgie, a MacGregor-Albert Community Association board member, says the street parties have significantly disrupted her neighbourhood in past years.
"We would see people just being pretty flagrant. People would come and pee on our yards and throw garbage. They would be quite disrespectful," she said.
Elgie says the MacGregor-Albert Community Association doesn't want to stop parties in the University District completely.
"We're not against partying. We just want people to do it safely and to have some respect for those of us who have small children and elderly parents," she said.
According to a court ruling made by Justice Micheal Gibson in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the city has spent approximately $105,000 responding to the street parties. He added that Municipal Enforcement Services has spent more than $940,000 addressing these unsanctioned gatherings since 2017.
Justice Gibson says the injunction does not violate the Charter right to to freedom of peaceful assembly or freedom of association.
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