As officials and authorities all over Waterloo look for ways to crack down on the city’s notorious St. Patrick’s Day street party, one landlord’s idea proved to be quite unpopular – and possibly illegal.
Every March 17, thousands of students flood onto Ezra Avenue in Waterloo’s university district.
The party has grown significantly in recent years, with police estimating that 15,000 people attended the 2017 event. Many of the revelers come from out of town.
Police have said that they believe the party is growing beyond their ability to ensure the safety of people on Ezra and in the wider community. They’ve planned a series of new measures to keep things under control this year, including warning people on buses as they enter Waterloo Region and bringing in additional officers from Peel Region for assistance.
Private landlords appear to be trying to find ways to contain St. Patrick’s Day celebrations as well.
Tenants of three buildings near the intersection of Ezra and King Street had been told that their buildings will be limited to 35 guests on Saturday – even though at least one of the buildings, MARQ, contains more than 200 apartments.
The limit was to be enforced through a wristband system, with 35 wristbands being made available earlier this week.
Mariam Eskandari says she went to get a wristband 15 minutes after they were made available, only to find a massive line. She says she was told that people had started lining up hours ahead of time, and all the wristbands were spoken for.
Photos from that morning show dozens of students jamming the building's foyer in an attempt to score a wristband.
Shaun Harvey, a Kitchener-based paralegal, says nothing in Ontario law allows landlords to limit guest visits unless their lease specifically spells out that ability. Students at the affected buildings say that isn’t the case.
“The landlord doesn’t have the legal authority to stop tenants from bringing guests into their property,” Harvey said.
Thursday evening, a spokesperson for the landlord told CTV News that the policy had been put in place "to comply with the City, police and fire department requirements" and was a response to concerns about potential overcrowding in the building.
The spokesperson said the limit was now being increased, and all residents would be allowed to have one visitor apiece.
With reporting by Nicole Lampa
