St. Patrick’s Day celebrations went forward as hundreds of green-clad students filled Marshall Street and surrounding areas in Waterloo Saturday despite a court-ordered injunction that could lead to their detainment and arrest.
In the days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, the City of Waterloo announced that it was granted an injunction order by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice from Friday, March 14 at 12:00 a.m. to Monday, March 17 at 11:59 p.m.
The injunction allows police to detain, arrest and charge anyone who is participating in unsanctioned street parties in that city this weekend.
St. Patrick’s Day often sees thousands of students take to the streets in the University District of Waterloo to drink, party and sometimes cause chaos and disorder.
This court order was met with mixed reactions by students and neighbours.
Instead of being given a ticket, party goers now risk being charged with a criminal offence by Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) if engaging in illegal activities and thereby breaching the court order.
This, however, did not deter everyone: Saturday afternoon saw what appears to be hundreds, possibly thousands, of students gathering on the streets of Waterloo to drink, mingle and celebrate.
Saturday evening, WRPS released a statement asking the public to avoid the areas of Marshall Street and Regina Street North as members of the WRPS Public Order Unit tried to move individuals off the streets.
WRPS public information officer Melissa Quarrie told CBC News in an email Sunday that they “continue to monitor the situation” and “encourage those planning to celebrate, to do so in smaller gatherings, at licensed establishments, or at home.”
Outside of that statement, spokesperson Cherri Greeno told CBC News Sunday that WRPS would not release official estimates of numbers or a summary of events until after all celebrations were done.
