Chief Larkin: Police will be fair but firm with St. Patrick's Day revellers in Waterloo
Annual tradition has turned into an illegal street party on Ezra Street in recent years
It's St. Patrick's Day, which means hundreds of university students are expected to don their best green outfits and drink green beer in celebration.
- City of Waterloo won't put up party tent for St. Patrick's Day
- St. Patrick's Day revel: Tone it down, asks Wilfrid Laurier University
But police are ready for the annual – albeit unofficial – party that takes part on Ezra Street in Waterloo where there are a number of student residences.
"We recognize that people are going to be out but we have significant resource deployment in uptown Waterloo, the Albert Street corridor, the Northdale corridor, and our message is very firm, fair and consistent: You can't drink in public, you can't behave in certain ways and our whole goal is to contain this," Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin told The Morning Edition's host Craig Norris Thursday.
He said police have been working with community partners such as the universities and the student unions to encourage the concept of "get your green on but be golden about it."
"We recognize we're not going to suppress it, we're not going to end it, but let's actually contain it and work in partnership to ensure a safe, responsible, event," Larkin said.
269 charges laid in 2015
Last year, police, campus police at Wilfrid Laurier University and City of Waterloo bylaw officers laid 269 charges including 204 charges for having and possessing open alcohol.
In 2014, police seized 4,400 beers from a Waterloo home before a St. Patrick's Day party got underway. Members of an unofficial student group were allegedly selling tickets to the party through social media, police said. The student group said it was for charity.
The annual tradition has grown from house parties and celebrations at the pubs on the two university campuses to thousands of revellers hitting the streets and blocking off Ezra Avenue.
For the past two years, the City of Waterloo has had a tent set up encouraging students to party there rather than celebrate with the illegal street party. But the city decided against the tent this year because they found it was encouraging more people from outside Waterloo to come celebrate St. Patrick's Day here. In fact, there were even some organized bus trips to bring students in.
This year, The Pub on King has erected a tent for festivities.
'Safety and respect'
Last week, police, city staff and student volunteers did a door-to-door campaign in the MacGregor-Albert neighbourhood to spread "a message of safety and respect."
"Students play a large role in creating the vibrant community we are all so proud of, and we want to ensure respect for both the neighbourhood and their fellow residents continues on this day and all year long," Mark Dykstra, the city's commissioner of community services, said in a press release before the campaign.
Larkin said he is not worried about those people who will hoist a beer to celebrate their heritage or the day.
"My issue is really public health, the binge drinking. It's concerning, it's something we always need to curb. I'm really very proud of the student unions, they have worked with us phenomenally to promote really a respectful party and/or celebration," he said.
Those celebrating, though, may need to keep the festivities indoors. Environment Canada is calling for a 70 per cent chance of rain with the possibility of a thunderstorm, which may keep revellers inside and off streets and patios.