KITCHENER -- More than 30,000 people are expected to party on Ezra Avenue for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 this year, prompting police to layout their crowd control plans.
To cut down on the chaos Waterloo Regional Police will be installing fenced in areas with washrooms, garbage cans and scaffolding where officers can stand to observe the crowd.
The fenced in area’s which police are calling “pods” were first used during Wilfrid Laurier’s homecoming festivities in September 2019.
The Chief of Police Bryan Larkin says he will also bring in members from the Peel Regional Police Service and Ontario Provincial Police Service to support their efforts.
“We have a responsibility of community safety and public safety and we’ll implement all the different initiatives that we need to accomplish those goals,” Larkin says.
Officials say they don’t discourage anyone from celebrating but encourage people to enjoy themselves in a safe place like a pub and not on the street.
The total event policing costs for St. Patrick’s Day in 2019 was approximately $285,000. The potential costs for this year are still unclear.
